Chuck vs The Missing Link
by BillAtWork
Summary: Sarah gets called away on a special assignment. Can Team Chuck survive without her? Timeline immediately follows Chuck vs The Gentleman's Club.
1. No Right Decision

_This story's timeline immediately follows Chuck vs. the Gentleman's Club. A special thanks to Natty for the beta and suggestions. I still don't own Chuck._

_No Right Decision_

- - - -

As Chuck struggled to wake up, memories of last night filled his head. All of the tensions and frustrations of the past few days instantly dissolved last night as he held Sarah in his arms. Without the pressure of knowing that they had a life or death mission that night, they could just relax and have fun. And boy did they have fun. Chuck smiled to himself as he remembered the night and all of its highlights. And the best part was that they could stay in bed all day. Chuck reached over to give Sarah a hug. The only problem is that he found an empty side of the bed. Quickly sitting up, Chuck scanned the room for Sarah.

"Sarah," Chuck called.

"I'm in here," Sarah quickly responded from the living room.

Chuck was relieved that Sarah was there. But there was something about her voice that sounded off. So quickly, Chuck got out of bed and opened the door to the living room. He saw Sarah sitting on the couch. One look confirmed Chuck's fears. She obviously had been crying. Chuck quickly went over and sat next to her.

"Babe," Chuck said softly. "What's wrong?"

Sarah opened her mouth to answer Chuck but no words would come. Instead she buried her face in his shoulder.

"Babe," said Chuck softly. "You're scaring me. What's wrong?"

After a long moment Sarah finally spoke without looking up.

"Graham just called. They want me to go on an assignment."

"I'm not going to like this," said Chuck sadly. "Am I?"

"I'm sorry," said Sarah. "No you're not."

"Why don't you just tell me," Chuck said softly.

"Ok," said Sarah. "I'll tell you. But right up front understand that if you say no, then it's no. I already told Graham that. Ok?"

"Sarah," said Chuck firmly. "Look at me and tell me."

"Ok," said Sarah as she sat up and looked at Chuck. "But please let me finish before you say anything."

Chuck just nodded.

"A few years ago," Sarah began as she took a deep breath. "Bryce and I went undercover to Qatar to help protect the prince from a coup. We were posing as husband and wife. The prince really bonded with us. Now that price is king. The administration wants him to come to Washington for a state visit to improve relations. But the only way that he will agree is if Bryce and I will be in charge of his security detail. Graham wants me to go undercover as Bryce's wife for a week."

"Are you finished," Chuck asked.

Sarah nodded.

"Good," said Chuck. "Because there's no way in hell that's happening."

"I understand," Sarah said with a smile. "I thought that would be your reaction. And I'm fine with that. I really am. And I'm not trying to talk you into this. I promise that I'm not. But there are some other factors that I think we need to consider."

Chuck nodded for her to continue.

"First," Sarah said. "Qatar is a very strategic ally for the country. That's especially important given the current situation in the Middle East. The king has really taken a liking to Bryce and me. He trusts us. It would go a long way towards improved relations. It's important to the country."

"He's taken a liking," Chuck asked with a smile. "Or something else?"

"Ok," said Sarah as a blush crept into her face. "I'll admit. He has a bit of a crush on me. Nothing has ever happened but it's obvious. Bryce was always trying to get me to seduce him but I never would."

"So," said Chuck. "Let me get this straight. They want me to agree to let my wife pose as the wife of her ex lover to schmoose a foreign leader who has a 'crush' on her. Have I left anything out? You wouldn't have to be part of his harem? No dancing or stripping or anything like that?"

"No," said Sarah with a smile. "Nothing like that. I think that it's bad enough as it is. You know that I don't want to do this either. I'd miss you to much."

"Sarah," said Chuck sadly as he looked at the floor. "You know that I want to do the right thing. I just can't. Not with Bryce. It's just too real. You've told him that you loved him. You've probably daydreamed about your wedding and family with him. You've made love with him. Actually, way more times then you have with me now that I think about it. Now I have to go to sleep for a whole week knowing that you're in bed with him? I couldn't bear the thought of what could happen. I mean, you fell in love with him once, didn't you?"

"Chuck, look at me," Sarah said softly.

Chuck looked in Sarah's direction but wouldn't meet her eye.

"Damn it Chuck," Sarah said more firmly than she really intended. "Look at me right now!"

Surprised by her tone, Chuck's head snapped up to look Sarah in the eye.

"I want you to listen to me very carefully," Sarah said firmly. "I understand how you feel. I do. I know that if we were talking about you and Jill sharing a bed for a week, I would be a basket case. So, if you can't do this I'll understand. But if you think that for one second that Bryce, or anyone else, could steal me away from you, then you're just being plain silly. I mean, how could such a truly brilliant man be so stone cold stupid?"

Chuck just looked at Sarah to continue with his mouth hanging open.

"I've been looking for you my whole life," Sarah said in a much softer tone. "I was beginning to doubt that you even existed. And now that I've found you, I'm never letting you go. You're the love of my life. And nothing could ever change that. If I ever saw someone hurt you half as much as what you're describing, I would tear them apart with my bare hands. You have to know that."

Sarah could see the smile beginning to form

"And yes," Sarah continued. "I've told Bryce that I loved him. But I was being stupid. I always knew deep down, that I was settling, that I wanted more. And you're right, I suppose I've daydreamed about a wedding and a family with Bryce. But I always knew it would never happen. Chuck, you just can't compare how I feel about you to how I felt about Bryce. I love you so much that it scares me. And it hurts a little to think that you don't trust me enough not to destroy you by running off with someone else. I just couldn't do that."

"I'm really being stupid," said Chuck with a small smile. "Huh?"

"Yes Chuck," said Sarah with a growing smile. "Yes you are."

"I'm very sorry if I hurt you," said Chuck. "I never, ever want to do that. Please don't take it that way. I totally trust you. It's just so awful to think about. I think that Bryce still loves you. I don't trust him."

"Chuck," said Sarah slowly. "Bryce can't still love me. Because he never did love me. At least not the way we're describing. He may still be attracted to me. But that's different. And I think that Bryce knows that if he touches me at all inappropriately, he'll earn a trip to see Ellie in the ER. I'll make sure that he's reminded the very next time I see him."

"But I thought that Bryce was deep undercover," Chuck asked. "Isn't it a risk that he could be exposed to Fulcrum?"

"Yes," Sarah said. "That's how important that they think that this visit is. With our recent success with Fulcrum, they must think that they are lying low right now."

"So when do you have to leave," Chuck asked sadly.

"I would have to take the red eye tonight," said Sarah. "I have to be in Washington in the morning."

"I'm really going to miss you," Chuck said softly through tears as he hugged Sarah tightly."

"I'm pretty sure that I'll miss you more," said Sarah through her own tears. "I can't tell you how proud that I am of you right now."

"Thanks," said Chuck with a slight smile. "I just wish that I felt better about it."

"And Chuck," Sarah said with a twinkle in her eye. "Bryce and I were together for over two years. So he had quite a head start on you. And I haven't exactly been counting. But I'm pretty sure that you're closing in really quickly."

"That's good to know," said Chuck with a grin as he looked at Sarah's flimsy negligee. "I trust that you are going to take something more modest to sleep in?"

"You've got it," replied Sarah with a giggle. "I'll pack my granny stuff."

"Not that it will help," Chuck said with a grin. "You'd be sexy in a suit of armor."

"Trust me," Sarah said with a smile. "By the time I'm done with Bryce, the last thing he'll be thinking about is anything sexy. He'll be trying to stay as far out of my way as he possibly can."

"Great. Now that we have that settled, I have some catching up to do," said Chuck as he kissed Sarah passionately.

"Absolutely," Sarah agreed breathlessly as soon as the kiss broke.

- - - -

Casey and Carina picked up Chuck and Sarah to drive them to the airport. During the ride, Chuck and Sarah snuggled wordlessly in the back seat. Casey pulled up to the departing flight section of LAX and stopped the car. Chuck got out with Sarah to say their last goodbyes. He retrieved Sarah's suitcase and handed it to a skycap. Chuck held Sarah's carryon bag as he turned to embrace her.

"Do you think you can call," Chuck asked.

"Probably not," said Sarah sadly. "It's never a good idea on a mission. If I can I will."

"There won't be a minute," said Chuck. "That I won't think about you."

"Me too," said Sarah. "I know that a week sounds like a long time but it'll be over soon."

"I really love you," said Chuck sadly.

"I know," said Sarah. "It's the only reason that I can do this. Me too."

Chuck cupped Sarah's face in his hands and kissed her very tenderly. As soon as the kiss broke, he handed her the carryon bag and she walked into the terminal. Chuck just stood and watched long after she had disappeared from view.

As Casey and Carina watched Chuck from the car, Carina turned to Casey.

"You know," she said. "He is really going to be down. If you take any pleasure in that, it's the only pleasure you'll be getting for a long time. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal clear," was Casey's stoic reply.

Chuck finally turned and opened the car door. As soon as he was in the car, he let out a big sigh.

"She's gone."

- - - -

"Come on Chuck," said Carina in an exasperated tone. "You gotta eat."

"I'm not hungry," said Chuck in a tired voice. "I just want to go home."

"You want to go home," Carina repeated. "And how is sitting in an empty apartment, feeling sorry for yourself, going to make you feel better? Casey and I are taking you out for dinner and I don't want to hear another peep. Understand?"

"Yes mom," said Chuck with a small smile. "I understand. Do I have to finish all of my vegetables?"

"Only if you want dessert," Carina replied with a grin.

"Where do you want to go," Casey asked.

"We're not far away from the Casa Del Mar hotel," Carina replied. "Their restaurant is excellent."

Once they were inside the restaurant, Chuck couldn't help but be impressed. The hotel was directly on the beach. The wall of the restaurant that faced the ocean was totally glass. The view of the sun just starting to set into the water was breath taking. Carina, who was obviously taking charge of the evening, ordered a bottle of wine and some stuffed mushrooms as an appetizer. While they were waiting Carina turned to Chuck.

"Isn't this better than sitting at home alone," she said.

"I guess," said Chuck grudgingly. "I have to admit. The view is spectacular."

"I know that you miss her," Carina said softly. "But you don't have anything to worry about. As much as you think that you love her, she loves you twice as much."

"How do you know," Chuck asked.

"Well for one, she told me," said Carina with a smile. "But she didn't have to. I've known her for ten years and I can tell. Since Vegas, she's like another person. Her feet haven't touched the ground in ten days. I'm so jealous, I could spit."

"Jealous," asked Chuck. "Why are you jealous?"

"Because Chuck," replied Carina as the waiter brought their wine. "Every woman wants that feeling that Sarah has. She's very lucky. And trust me, she knows it."

"Thanks Carina," said Chuck with a smile. "That's good to know."

As Casey reached over to pour the wine, Chuck's eyes locked on a tall man across the room. That's when the flash hit. Casey recognized the flash right away. As soon as it was over, he turned to Carina.

"Well," Casey said. "You wanted to see a flash. There was one."

"No shit," said Carina in an excited whisper. "What did you flash on? Does it hurt?"

"Scott Wilson," said Chuck slowly. "He is suspected of being the head of a splinter group with ties to the terrorist group Hamas. He is a huge fund raiser. He has some legitimate charity work but a lot of what he collects is diverted to Hamas. And yes, it does hurt a little, thank you for asking."

"Ok," said Casey with a groan. "You two keep an eye on our new friend. I'll go out to the car and see what Washington wants us to do."

After a few minutes Casey returned.

"They want us to find out if he's staying at the hotel," said Casey. "Then it's back to my place for a briefing."

"But we haven't ordered dinner yet," Chuck said with a sigh."

"I thought that you weren't hungry," Carina asked with a smile.

"Well now I am," Chuck replied. "I just had an appetizer. Now I'm appetized"

"Don't worry," said Casey. "We'll stop by the Taco Bell drive through window on the way home."

"The one on the beach with the terrific view," Chuck asked in a sarcastic voice.

"Yup," was Casey's simple reply.

"Ok," said Carina in a soft voice. "Casey, you take Chuck out to the car. I'll find out where our buddy is staying."

"How are you going to do that," Chuck asked.

Casey and Carina both turned to look at Chuck like he was an idiot.

"Oh yea," said Chuck sarcastically. "I forgot. The slut technique."

"Casey," said Carina with a grin. "Remember what I said earlier about you not taking any pleasure in Chuck's situation?"

Casey nodded.

"Well Major. You can consider that order rescinded."

"Yes ma'am," said Casey with a grin. "Thank you ma'am."

Casey and Chuck were only in the car for a few minutes when Carina joined them.

"He's staying at the hotel," she said flatly. "He's been here for three days and has no plans to check out anytime soon."

"How did you find out," asked Chuck.

"Don't ask questions," said Carina with a grin. "When you don't want to know the answer."

- - - -

Sarah's flight arrived at Dulles airport just a little before two in the morning, Eastern Time. There was a limo driver holding a sign that said Sarah Larkin at the baggage claim. Sarah smiled at the fact that there was a time in her life when she would have gotten a thrill at seeing that name displayed. Now it just reminded her of Chuck. She wondered what he was doing. She hoped that Casey and Carina had taken care of him. The last thing that he needed was to sit in an empty apartment. She wondered what he was doing. The urge to call him overwhelmed her. The agent in her knew that was a bad idea. But she needed to hear his voice so badly. For now the agent won out.

On the ride to the hotel, she examined the packet that was waiting for her. It was the standard stuff. A new driver's license, passport, and credit cards proved to the world that she was, indeed, Sarah Larkin. At the bottom of the manila envelope was a wedding ring. "Whoever had supplied the packet must not have known," she said to herself with a smile. Sarah looked at the ring and then at the very similar ring that was on her finger. Even though they looked almost exactly the same, even though they had both been supplied by the CIA, one meant absolutely nothing to her and one meant everything. As tears filled her eyes, the urge to call Chuck again overwhelmed her. Again, the agent won out.

In the elevator on the way up to her room, she silently hoped that Bryce was not already there. That would give her a chance to get ready for bed before having to face him. Maybe she could pretend to be asleep and avoid talking to him at all tonight. Her heart sank when she opened the door to the room and saw Bryce's form already in the bed.

"Hi," Bryce said sleepily. "How was your flight?"

"Fine," said Sarah tersely as she threw her bags on the coffee table.

"Is there something wrong," Bryce asked softly.

"No," said Sarah just as tersely. "Why would you think that?"

"Come on Sarah," said Bryce sitting up in bed. "Something is wrong. Talk to me."

"You want to know what's wrong," Sarah asked harshly. "Ok. I'll tell you. I hate this fucking assignment. And right now, I'm pretty sure that I hate you."

"Well that's honest, at least," said Bryce with a smile. "Care to tell me why?"

"Fine," said Sarah, her voice still filled with hostility. "Right now the love of my life is lying alone in our bed while knowing that his wife of ten days is in bed with her ex lover. And he agreed to let that happen because he knew that it was the right thing to do. Even though it's killing him, he still did it. So right now, instead of me lying in bed next to this amazing man, I'm stuck here with you, Mr. somewhat less than amazing. So if you're expecting a good mood from me this week, you can forget it. Stay out of my way and maybe you won't get hurt."

Bryce's mouth fell slightly open as he listened to Sarah's wrath.

"And another thing," Sarah said as she continued her rant. "When I get back home, Chuck is going to ask me about every detail of this assignment. And I'm not going to lie to him. So if you give me any reason to cause him further pain, I'll hurt you. I'll blow your cover and be on the next plane to L.A. faster than you can lie to someone. And we both know how fast that is. Do we understand each other?"

"Damn," said Bryce softly. "Yes, I understand. You really love him that much?"

"Yes," said Sarah as she calmed down a little. "I do. I can't even describe it to you. It scares me. I'm not even sure that I can be an effective agent without him. It hurts me."

"Then I'm happy for you," said Bryce. "I know that you probably don't believe that. But I am. He's a great guy. That's what you've always wanted. Isn't it?"

Sarah nodded.

"I love him too you know," Bryce said with a smile. "Maybe not quite as intensely as you do. Ok, not nearly as intensely as you. But I do love him. Would you tell him that for me?"

"I'll tell him," said Sarah. "He'll like that. But why don't you tell him yourself?"

"Come on Sarah," said Bryce with a laugh. "You know that I don't tell anyone that I love them unless I'm trying to get them into bed. I don't think that you or Chuck would appreciate that."

"You're right," said Sarah with a smile. "I forgot."

"Why don't you call him," Bryce said. It's only midnight there."

"Bryce," said Sarah softly. "We're on a mission. It's not done."

"Come on Sarah," said Bryce. "This isn't a real mission. It's a P.R. thing. Go on. Call him. You'll feel better. He'll feel better. Any maybe if I accidentally brush up against you in the car, you won't put a knife in my side. Or more importantly, if the King brushes up against you. I'm thinking that would be very bad for our international relations."

"Ok," said Sarah with a grin as she grabbed her cell phone. She walked into the bathroom and closed the door. Her fingers were shaking as she hit Chuck's number and then send.

He answered on the second ring.

"Hi babe."

"Hi. I didn't wake you did I?"

"Don't be silly. I'm just lying here staring at the ceiling. We have to paint, by the way."

"Chuck, it's an apartment. Nobody paints an apartment silly. Let's wait until we buy a house. Then we'll paint."

"How was your flight?"

"It was good. I hate the red eye. But at least it was on time."

"Is Bryce there? Is he behaving?"

"Yes. So far he is. I was pretty rough on him. He's the one who told me to call. I think that he's hoping that you'll cheer me up."

"I flashed tonight. Carina and I are going undercover tomorrow as a couple to get some intel."

"Really? You and Carina?"

"If you were here, I'm sure it would have been you and me."

"I'm sorry I'm not there. That sounds like fun."

"Don't be sorry. It's not your fault that I can't go two days without flashing on some perv."

"Be careful. Ok? Promise me that you'll do what Casey and Carina tell you?"

"Ok. But I miss the good old days when I just stayed in the car."

"But Chuck. You never stayed in the car."

"I would now."

"I know. I'm sorry but I have to go. I need to get some sleep before tomorrow. But I just had to hear your voice."

"I'm so glad that you called. Can you call again tomorrow?"

"I'll try. Ok?"

"Ok. Try hard."

"I will. I really love you."

"I know. I really love you too. Don't worry about me. Casey and Carina are taking good care of me."

"That's good to know. Hopefully, I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Goodnight Sarah."

"Goodnight Chuck."

Sarah held the phone to her chest for several minutes after the call ended. Knowing that she couldn't let Bryce see her cry, she sat on the edge of the bathtub while she let the tears stream down her cheeks.

- - - -


	2. A Horse of a Different Cover

_Warning: There is some adult content in this. Nothing major but please use discretion. Very special thanks to Natty who braved a possum to beta this and teach me grammar. I still don't own Chuck._

_A Horse of a Different Cover_

- - - -

Sarah was wakened from her fitful sleep by the telephone announcing their eight o'clock wake up call. As tired as Sarah was, she was grateful to be out of the bed. Not that she expected Bryce to try anything. She had made it clear what would happen in that event. She had just grown so used to sleeping cuddled next to Chuck that she was afraid that she would do it unconsciously with Bryce. "That would be disastrous" she thought to herself. So to make sure that it didn't happen, she slept on the very edge of the bed. To the point of almost falling out on to the floor. She wrapped her hands in the sheets so she couldn't move. If Bryce noticed, he didn't say anything. Her conservative sleepwear didn't seem so conservative at the moment. She had forgotten how short that nightgown really was. And it had ridden up to Sarah's mid thigh during the night. She quickly pulled it back into place as she stood up.

"Do you want the bathroom first," Bryce asked her as he sat up in bed. He was wearing sweat pants but no shirt. If he was thinking anything about last night it wasn't evident in his face or voice.

"Thanks," Sarah said without looking at him. She quickly grabbed the clothes that she had laid out last night and walked into the bathroom. She took a much longer time in the shower than normal, hoping that Bryce would have to get ready quickly and she would be spared having to talk to him. Finally, she could stall no longer. She opened the door and walked into the room. Bryce wordlessly took his turn in the shower.

"Hopefully," thought Sarah to herself. "I can avoid him for the whole week."

- - - -

Casey and Carina were in the car on their way to pick up Chuck for today's mission.

"This is the first time that I've gone under cover with Chuck," Carina said. "I hope that doesn't bother you."

"Why would it bother me," Casey said with a sneer. "You're doing your job."

"I know," said Carina. "But sometimes it's a little more real when it's someone you know. Chuck and I do have a little history together. I hope that he can deal with that. I mean, he's already messed up by Sarah being off with Bryce."

"I'm not the jealous type," Casey said with a smile. "You should know that by now. Do you want me to be jealous? Is that what you're saying?"

"Don't be silly," said Carina with a sideways glance. "I just want to get everything out in the open."

No," said Casey, his smile turning into a broad grin. "I'm not jealous. But I hope that you don't mind me having some fun with Chuck. Do you?"

"I don't know," said Carina hesitantly. "I'm not sure that is such a good idea. He's already pretty messed up."

"Oh come on," Casey said pleadingly. "Just a little? I helped you mess with Sarah in Vegas. I think that you owe me a little fun. Don't you?"

"If I remember Vegas correctly," Carina said with a sparkle in her eye. "You were paid in full. But I guess a little fun would be ok. Just please don't over do it. We are on a mission after all. We need Chuck at least a little functional."

"Yes ma'am," said Casey with his broadest grin. "Thank you ma'am."

As Chuck got into the back seat, Carina turned to him.

"How did you sleep? Are you feeling better?"

"I slept well," Chuck said with a smile. "Sarah called last night. So that helped a lot."

"Sarah called," said Casey incredulously. "Sarah called on a cell phone while on a mission? The Sarah I know? Sarah Walker?"

"Sarah Bartowski," Chuck corrected. "But yes. She said that Bryce told her to call."

"She must have really let him have it," said Carina with a laugh. "She told me that she was going to. I would have given a kidney to be a fly on that wall. Do you think that she taped it, by any chance?"

"I don't know," said Chuck hesitantly. "She didn't say anything to me about it. But you never know with you spy types."

"Speaking of spy types," Carina said. "I want to talk to you about tonight's mission. This will be the first time we've been under cover as a couple. I want to make sure that you know that there are differences between how Sarah and I work."

"Ok."

"Sarah can turn it on and off," Carina said slowly. "I can't. When I'm in character, I have to stay in character. That means that I might do things like hold your hand or kiss you even when we're alone. Stuff like that."

"Wait a minute," Casey growled. "You're going to hold his hand? Nobody said anything about kissing."

"I know that you and Sarah would drop the cover," Carina said ignoring Casey. "Once you were alone. I mean before you were um, um before you were..."

"Before you were banging her four times a night," Casey said with a growl. "Is that what you meant to say?"

"Yes Casey," Carina said quietly. "Thank you. Oh and before I forget, I lent all of my conservative sleeping clothes to Sarah so she could hide her goodies from Bryce. So tonight, I'll be wearing something a little more revealing. I just want you to be prepared."

"Oh hell no," said Casey with a growl as he turned to look at Chuck. "Not the yellow one? Tell me you're not going to wear the yellow one."

"Sorry big guy," said Carina with a smile. "It's either that or nothing."

"Good lord," Chuck said with a cough. "Please pick the yellow one. And Sarah is hoping to call me tonight. Please tell me that I can take her call. I couldn't stand it if I don't get to talk to her."

"I don't know," said Carina. "We are on a mission you know?"

"It might be ok," said Casey with a growl as they pulled in to hotel parking lot. "As long as you are in the room alone. At least it will get you out of her bed for a few minutes. Maybe you should tell Sarah what you're doing and what Carina is wearing. That might be good for her to hear."

"Yea," said Chuck slowly. "Thanks big guy. But I don't think so. Besides, I'm sure that you're going to fully brief her when she gets back."

"You know it," Casey said with a growl as he looked Chuck directly in the eye. "I'm even going to let her listen to the tape."

"Can you wait inside for a minute," Casey said to Chuck. "I'd like a minute alone with Carina before she has to be your girlfriend for the night."

"Sure big guy," said Chuck nervously. "Take all the time that you need. I'll be just inside."

As soon as Chuck was inside the hotel, Casey and Carina burst into laughter.

"Aw thank you," said Casey through his laughter as he kissed Carina's forehead. "I knew there was a reason that I love you."

"You're welcome," said Carina struggling to get the words out. "If you think that he's uptight now, wait until tonight. I'm pretty sure that I'll have him wetting his pants by the end of the night."

- - - -

Bryce and Sarah were let into the main reception area where breakfast was being served. They immediately went to greet the king. Bryce stepped up to him and shook his hand.

"Your majesty," Bryce said firmly as he kissed the king's cheek. "Welcome to America. It's such an honor for you to come."

"Thank you Bryce," the king replied. "How nice to see you again."

As soon as Bryce moved, Sarah stepped up.

"Your majesty," she said as she kissed both cheeks. "I'm so happy to see you again."

"Sarah," said the king. "You don't know how happy I am to see you. I have really missed you. Please tell me that you'll do me the honor of dancing with me at the ball tonight?"

"Your majesty," Sarah said as she flashed her patented smile. "The honor would be all mine. As long as it wouldn't cause a scandal, perhaps we could dance more than once."

"Who cares about scandal," said the king with a smile. "I would like that very much. After all, I am now the king."

As Sarah and Bryce took their seats, Sarah turned to Bryce.

"What's this about a ball," Sarah said with a smile, while obviously angry."

"Oh yea," said Bryce. "I forgot. We have to attend a State Ball tonight in the king's honor."

"Ok Bryce," Sarah said while still outwardly smiling. "You know how much it pisses me off when you don't tell me things. Is there anything else that you've forgotten to tell me?"

"Sorry," said Bryce sheepishly. "I just forgot. I wasn't trying to hold out on you."

"He still likes you," Bryce continued obviously trying to change the subject. "You should really think about seducing him."

"Bryce," said Sarah. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm married. To someone who would actually care if I slept with someone else."

"I don't get it," said Bryce. "I mean, he does know what you do. Doesn't he? Why would he care? It wouldn't bother me."

"Yea I know," said Sarah. 'It so wouldn't bother you that you would dim the lights for us. You'd probably slip me the condom. Chuck is different. He cares. And I'm not going to even think about betraying him."

"Ok," said Bryce. "But then why were you just flirting with the king? What was about that maybe we could dance more than once stuff?"

"Because," said Sarah, her smile turning into a grin. "I'd much rather dance with him than with you."

- - - -

Chuck and Carina were going to dinner at the hotel after checking in. In the elevator, Carina turned to Chuck.

"Ok," she said softly as she grabbed his hand. "We're officially a couple starting right now. And you better get used to this."

Carina grabbed Chuck and kissed him hard with an open mouth.

"Carina," Chuck said in an embarrassed tone. "Don't you know that I don't like PDA?"

"Get over it" was Carina's reply.

"I guess that it's show time," Chuck said with a smile. "Huh?"

"Show time," asked Carina with a sideways glance. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Man," said Chuck in exasperation. "I thought that you'd know. It's what Sarah always says."

"I'm just teasing you," said Carina with a smile. "Yes Chuck. It's show time."

As they were just getting served their entrée, Scott Wilson entered the restaurant and was seated at a table across the room. With him were another man and two women. The women were obviously dates.

Chuck's face showed his shock as he looked at the couples. Carina mistook the expression on Chuck's face.

"Did you just flash" she asked in a hushed whisper.

"No," said Chuck in the same tone. "I didn't need to. See the dark haired girl with Wilson? That's Angel from the club."

"Shit," said Carina softly. "Has she seen you?"

"I don't think so."

"Well calmly follow me" said Carina as she grabbed Chuck's hand and led him into the kitchen.

As soon as they entered the kitchen their waiter approached them.

"Is there a problem with your meal" he asked.

"Not at all," Carina replied as she flashed her seductive smile. "We have somewhat of a delicate situation here. An ex boyfriend of mine just showed up. I really don't want him to see me. Any help you can give us getting out of here discreetly would be most appreciated."

"Not at all," replied the waiter with a smile. "Don't worry. It happens all of the time. If you go out that door and down the hall, you'll be in the hotel lobby."

"Thank you so much" said Carina as she pressed two one hundred dollar bills into his hand.

"You're very welcome," replied the waiter as they were walking away. "I hope that you enjoyed your meal."

"Very much" said Carina over her shoulder.

They weren't back in the room for very long before Casey knocked at the door.

"Ok," he said. "Here's the deal. We got Angel's name from the arrest records when we raided the party. She also works part time for an escort service called Ladies on Your Arm. It's obviously also a front for prostitution. She has been booked for Wilson all this week."

"I've got an idea," said Carina. "How about tomorrow night, I take Angel's place?"

"That would work," said Casey. "But what do we do with Angel?"

"Chuck can keep her occupied", said Carina.

"What", Chuck said with a whine.

"Chuck," said Carina soothingly. "Angel knows you. All you would have to do is intercept her at the door tomorrow and tell her that you've gotten her reassigned to you for the evening."

"But what will I do with her," Chuck said with a sigh. "You know what she'll be expecting?"

"That's up to you tiger," said Casey with a grin. "I'm sure you can think of something."

"Crap."

- - - -

Sarah and Bryce were sitting at their assigned table at the ball. Sarah was stunning in her blue backless gown. And of course Bryce filled out a tux very well. They looked very much the perfect couple, even in a room full of perfect couples.

"You know," Sarah said to Bryce. "I wouldn't object at all if you picked up someone here and spent the night at her place. Not at all."

"Thanks," said Bryce with a smile. "I'll keep that in mind. I don't suppose that you'll be visiting the king's bedroom tonight?"

"How many times do I have to say this," replied Sarah coolly. "The only sex I'm ever going to have is with Chuck. Forever. Got it?"

Just then the king approached.

"Sarah," he said. "Would now be a good time to have that first dance?

"Of course your majesty," Sarah said with a dazzling smile. "I'd be so honored."

"With your permission" the king said to Bryce.

"Don't be silly, your majesty" Bryce replied with a smile.

"You know," said the king as they began to dance. "I've really looked forward to seeing you again. You're one of the main reasons that I agreed to come on this visit."

"Thank you your majesty," said Sarah with a smile. "That's so nice of you to say. I've missed the time that we spent together as well. I'm eager to help our two countries become closer allies."

"You don't know how big of a crush I had on you" he said.

"Of course I know," said Sarah with a coy smile. "A woman always knows these things. I'm very flattered."

"Then you'll understand," said the king. "Now that I'm the king, I'm more bold in asking for what I want. Would you do me the honor of coming to my room tonight?"

"Your majesty," said Sarah with a coy smile. "Please don't be offended. I'm so flattered. And under other circumstances I would like that very much. But I'm afraid that I can't. You see, I'm very much totally in love with my husband. I just couldn't betray him. Please don't be angry at me. I really value your friendship."

"This husband that you talk about," replied the king. "He's not Bryce is he?"

"Why would you say that" Sarah said in surprise.

"Come now Sarah," the king replied softly. "I've studied you very closely. By your voice I can tell that you are very much in love. But by the way that you look at Bryce, I can tell that you are not in love with him. Please be honest with me. Am I correct?"

"You are," said Sarah sadly. "Your majesty, please don't be angry. I never meant to deceive you. When we visited two years ago, Bryce and I were together. But we haven't been for about a year now."

"How could I be angry at you," said the king with a smile. "I'm disappointed that you won't be with me tonight. But I'm very happy for you. You are obviously very much in love. I would like to meet this very lucky man. He must be incredible."

"He is," replied Sarah as she embraced the king. "More than I can describe to you. My words fail me. And thank you for your warm thought. But actually, I'm the lucky one. I would be so honored for you to meet him. Perhaps, one day, we can come to Qatar. Would you allow that?"

"Sarah," said the king. "Don't be ridiculous. You are always welcome in my home. I look forward to it. Tell me, how are you staying in the same room as Bryce. Isn't that uncomfortable for you?"

"It's very uncomfortable," Sarah admitted sadly. "It is causing my husband a lot of pain."

"Don't worry," the king replied with a smile. "Bryce will not be in your room tonight."

"Thank you your majesty," Sarah said with a smile. "But I would get in trouble if my superiors found out that you knew the truth."

"Don't worry Sarah," said the king with a smile. "I can be discreet. It's a talent one needs to be king."

"Thank you so much your majesty," said Sarah with a sigh as she embraced the king. "I really value your friendship. If there is anything I can ever do to be of service to you, please let me know."

"Well," Sarah continued with a smile. "At least I'd be happy to perform any service that I can tell my husband about."

"Well," the king said thoughtfully. "You could dance with me again.'

"Your majesty," said Sarah with her Sarah smile. "That wouldn't be me performing a service for you. That would be just be fun."

- - - -

Chuck and Carina were getting ready for bed. Chuck was lying in bed watching Sports Center as Carina was in the bathroom changing.

"Chuck," Carina called from the bathroom. "Would you turn off the television? I need your attention for a minute."

"Sure," said Chuck as clicked the remote. "What do you want to tell me?"

"I want your opinion on something," she said as she walked out of the bathroom. "What do you think about this negligee?"

Carina was wearing a yellow teddy that was, for all intents and purposes, transparent. She had on a pair of dark panties but that was it.

"Carina," Chuck said with a blush. "What are you wearing? What will Casey and Sarah say?"

"Come on Chuck," said Carina with a wry smile. "We're undercover as a couple. This is how I act as a couple. You want me to stay in character don't you? And you've already seen everything that I'm showing you now. Don't you remember?"

Just then Chuck's cell phone rang. Sarah's picture sprang up on the screen.

"This is Sarah," Chuck said excitedly. "Please tell me that I can take it?"

"Go ahead," said Carina softly. "I'll be here waiting when you are done."

"Hi babe," Chuck answered as he walked into the bathroom and closed the door. "I'm so glad that you called."

"Hi Chuck. I'm missing you so much. What are you doing?"

"Carina and I are undercover. We're in the hotel room right now. I'm in the bathroom. How did your day go?"

"Well, I just got back from a State Ball in honor of the king. I blew my cover with him. I'm getting so horrible at this spy stuff."

"You blew your cover? Are you in trouble?"

"I don't think so. He was really cool about it. The good news is that he's keeping Bryce busy so I don't have to sleep with him tonight."

"That is good news. I wish that I could say the same about Carina."

"Is she messing with you? She's just kidding you know?"

"Yea. I know. Don't worry. I have a plan."

"I'm sure that you do."

"I miss you so much. When can you come home?"

"Soon. I miss you too. The king wants to meet you. He wants us to come to Qatar. Would you like that?"

"I guess. I'm not sure where Qatar is. Would you be coming with me?"

"Of course silly. It's right next to Iraq."

"Not exactly the vacation hot spot. But I'll go anywhere if you go with me."

"That's sweet. I'd better let you go. It's late."

"Ok. Can you call tomorrow?"

"I hope so. We'll see."

"I love you. You know that. Right?"

"I know. I never get tired of hearing it though. I love you too."

"I know. Goodnight babe. Enjoy the empty bed."

"Goodnight Chuck. Don't enjoy the not so empty bed too much."

Chuck ended the call and slid back into bed next to Carina.

"How is she doing," Carina said with a smile. "Has she killed Bryce yet?"

"Not yet," Chuck said with a small laugh. "But I do think that he is catching a cold from the chill in the room."

"You never told me what you think of my negligee" Carina said in a soft voice as she slid over to cuddle next to Chuck.

"It's very sexy," Chuck said with a smile as he put his arm around Carina. "Have I told you how incredibly beautiful you are?"

"No" Carina replied in a surprised voice.

"Well you are," Chuck said softly. "You're one of the sexist women I have ever seen. And we are a couple tonight. Aren't we?"

"I guess," said Carina hesitantly with her eyes wide in surprise as Chuck kissed her. "But what about Sarah?"

"Come on Carina," Chuck said in a whisper as he kissed her again. "You know Sarah. She of all people understands what you have to do for cover. I mean how many times has she had sex for cover reasons? She's in bed with Bryce right now as we speak."

"I can't tell you how long I've been thinking about this" Chuck said as he kissed her again. This time he opened his mouth. As soon as he did, Carina turned her head to break the kiss.

"Come on Carina. Stay in character with me. I know that you want this" Chuck said as he grabbed Carina and rolled on his back so that she was on top on him. Chuck grabbed the hem of her teddy and began to lift it off of her.

"Chuck," Carina said loudly as she jumped out of bed. "What are you doing? We can't do this. What about..."

Carina stopped talking as she watched Chuck rolling on the bed in laughter.

"You son of a bitch," she said with a laugh after a moment when the realization hit. "Very funny. How long have you known?"

"Every since the car," Chuck said still laughing uncontrollably. "I mean, Casey acting jealous? Come on. He has to be the worst actor ever."

"Well in that case," said Carina with a sly smile. "Maybe you'd be up to helping me mess with him?"

"Always."

- - - -


	3. Dream Lover

_Warning: There is some adult content in this. Nothing major but please use discretion. A special thanks to Pancakes and Natty for the beta and help. My grammar is so bad that it takes both of them to fix it. I still don't own Chuck._

_Dream Lover_

- - - -

Sarah was late. She couldn't really remember why but she was definitely late. She struggled finding the Math department. She wasn't that familiar with the Stanford campus and she was beginning to panic. But she finally breathed a big sigh of relief as she found Jill's office. Sarah got a glimpse of her through the ajar office door. She was much prettier than Ellie had described. She must have learned about makeup at some point. And since when did a college professor wear such a provocative dress? The slit was much higher than even Carina would allow.

Suddenly Sarah spotted Chuck walking towards Jill. Seeing him never failed to bring a smile to her face. But what was he doing? "Oh my god," she thought. "Why is he kissing her?" They were really going at it. Chuck's hands were everywhere as they were franticly trying to undress each other.

Sarah stood paralyzed unable to do anything but watch.

"I can't believe that they can't see me" she said to herself. She tried to yell at them to stop but no words would come.

Finally Chuck had Jill's dress off. Chuck began to kiss down her neck as he reached behind her to unhook her bra.

As Jill's bra hit the floor, Chuck dropped to his knees. As he was working his way down her stomach, Jill moaned with desire.

"But what about your wife" Jill was finally able to squeak out as her face was contused in passion.

"Don't worry about her," Chuck said with a laugh that Sarah had never heard from him before. "I can't tell you how many times she's done this with other men. And you have to know. I love you. I've never stopped loving you."

Now Chuck had her naked. As he grabbed her to lay her down on her back on the desk Jill's phone began to ring.

As Chuck climbed onto the desk with her, the phone rang again.

"Do you want to answer that" Chuck said with a husky smile as the phone rang again.

"Hell no," said Jill. "Please make love to me. I love you so much. I want you now."

The phone rang again.

Sarah woke up with a start to the phone ringing announcing her eight o'clock wake up call. She was wringing wet with sweat. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she looked around, trying to process where she was. Trying to catch her breath, she grabbed her cell phone and instinctively hit Chuck's number. Her hands were shaking so badly that she could hardly hold the phone to her ear. Chuck answered on the third ring.

'Hi, babe."

Sarah tried to speak but no words would come.

"Babe? Are you there?"

"Yes, Chuck," Sarah was finally able to get out with a sob.

"Babe. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Sarah said with a whimper. "I just needed to hear your voice."

"Sarah," Chuck said, the concern growing in his voice. "You're crying. Tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing," said Sarah, still sobbing while trying to compose herself. "I just had a bad dream."

"It must have been a really bad dream," Chuck said softly. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

"It was awful," Sarah sobbed. "You and Jill. I saw you. You were making love. You told her that you loved her. I tried to stop you but I couldn't move."

"Babe," Chuck said in a soothing voice. "It was just a dream. You know that would never really happen. Don't you?"

"I guess."

"You guess," Chuck questioned. "Babe. You have to know. I'm so in love with you that I can't even imagine what you're saying. Please tell me that you know."

"Ok, Chuck," Sarah said as she smiled a little through her tears. "I know."

"That's my girl," said Chuck with a small laugh. "I can't believe it. Super spy Sarah Bartowski is scared of a dream? I would have never figured that."

"I know," said Sarah. "Before I met you, I would have been embarrassed to admit that I was afraid of anything. Even to myself. I'm hardy ever afraid. I've been shot at, had knives thrown at me, and had to defuse bombs. But I was never afraid. The only thing that I'm really terrified of is losing you. And I'm not embarrassed to admit it."

"Then there's nothing in the world to be afraid of," Chuck said softly. "Is there? I'll tell you what I'll do to make you feel better. You need to feel so loved that you don't have any reason left to be afraid. How about every day for the next fifty years, I'll dedicate my life to making sure that you feel like you're the most loved woman in the world? Just to make sure that you never question it. Would that help?"

"It wouldn't hurt", Sarah replied with a definite smile in her voice.

"At our Golden Anniversary party we'll reassess the situation," Chuck said with a laugh. "Then maybe, you can take the next fifty years. Does that sound fair?"

"Yes," Sarah replied with a small giggle. "Very fair. I'm sorry that I woke you up so early."

"Don't worry about it. I would have stayed up all night just to be able to hear your voice. It sounds like an angel. After all, you're the most loved woman in the world."

"I know. Thank you."

"I was sort of hoping that you would come home and thank me in a more physical way. But you're welcome."

"Babe, trust me. The thanking isn't over yet."

"You know that I'm looking forward to that. I love you. Goodbye, Sarah."

"I love you too. Goodbye, Chuck."

- - - -

As soon as Chuck hung up the phone and left the bathroom, Carina was waiting for him.

"What's wrong" she said softly, the concern evident in her voice.

"Nothing really," said Chuck with a smile. "She just had a bad dream, that's all. She was pretty shaken up but I think that she's better now."

"The dream must have been about you," Carina said with a smile. "Were you killed or with another woman?"

"Another woman," replied Chuck with a grin. "How did you know?"

"That's pretty easy," said Carina with a laugh. "The only thing that could scare Sarah enough to call you is if she thought she was losing you."

"Why would she be afraid of that," asked Chuck, the frustration evident in his voice. "No Carina. I mean really, help me here. I love her to death. I would never do anything to hurt her. Why is she so afraid? Have I ever done anything to make her lose confidence in me? Because if I have, I want to stop."

"It's totally not you," said Carina softly as she put her arms around Chuck. "It's her. She's never had anybody that she could truly count on her whole life. I guess that she's afraid that you're too good to be true. That this is too good to last. She keeps waiting for that shoe to drop. It's something that I'm afraid that you're going to have to deal with for a while. She's going to be kind of clingy. A little overprotective maybe. Cut her some slack. Ok?"

"You're talking about Sarah like she's this insecure shy little girl," Chuck said incredulously. "She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. She commands every room that she's in. She can speak five languages. She can throw a knife and kill a fly. Why on earth would she be insecure?"

"Yes," said Carina. "But that's the spy Sarah. The person Sarah is insecure. Why do you think that she got sucked up by Bryce? She was until she met you anyway."

"She's going to be clingy," Chuck repeated with a strong laugh. "Sarah is going to be clingy to me? You're saying that like it's a bad thing. It sounds like a fantasy to me."

"I hope so," said Carina with a laugh. "Because you're going to get a lot of it."

"Can I ask you a personal question," Chuck asked. "You don't have to answer if you don't want."

Carina nodded for Chuck to continue.

"What about you? What are you looking for? How do you really feel about Casey? Is that where you see yourself?"

"Wow," said Carina as she blushed and looked at the floor. "I don't really know how to answer that."

"Too personal?"

"No," said Carina softly. "That's not it. I just don't know how to explain it. It's complicated. I think that Casey is great. In my own way, I love him very much. I do. But when I look at you and Sarah, what we have just isn't like that. We're both more driven to do the job then we are to be dedicated to each other. Will that grow over time? Maybe."

"Are you going to sleep with Scott Wilson tonight?"

"Wow, Chuck," said Carina. "I don't know. If I have to, I guess. I hope not."

"But you would? How would Casey react to that?"

"Casey understands," Carina said softly, almost to herself. "He wouldn't be happy about it. He'd want me to avoid it if I could. But he wouldn't be mad at me. Maybe he'd be sad for a while. He would make the same kind of sacrifice. He's given up his chance at a normal life too. I guess that's what brings us together."

"Is that what Sarah would expect from me? I don't think I can do that."

"No, Chuck," Carina said with a smile. "I think that Sarah's days of sleeping with marks are over. That's what being with you has done."

"I wish that you didn't have to either. I mean, it's demeaning. These guys blow up little kids. They're evil beyond belief. How can you do it? How can you lay there and let them use you?"

"Chuck," said Carina. "It needs to be done. The more evil they are, the more they need to be stopped. If I can stop them from blowing up little kids, then I guess I'm willing to sleep with them."

"But how do you get through it? How do you make yourself look and act sexy with these guys?

"Well, Chuck," said Carina with a wry smile. "I've been trained. I think that I should let Sarah tell you about the details of that if she wants to. That's more a wife thing. But the short answer is that I think of myself as an actress playing a role. And trust me; most of these guys are so eager to get you into bed that they're easy to fool. They could really care less how you feel. They just want into your pants."

"Do you ever enjoy it? I'm sorry. That was inappropriate. Please don't answer that."

"No, Chuck," said Carina with a sad smile. "It ok. It's a fair question. To be honest, there were times in my past where I did enjoy it. You heard all about the Pittsburgh story. If you want to know about me and Casey, I'll tell you this. I don't think I'll ever enjoy it again as long as we're together. Did that answer your question?"

"Yes. Does sleeping with marks change the way that you feel about sex" Chuck asked while looking at the floor.

"We're talking about Sarah now," said Carina with her eyes flashing. "Aren't we?"

Chuck nodded.

"Don't worry Chuck," said Carina with a laugh. Sarah lives for you. I'm going to tell you something that she would kick my ass if she found out about. Sarah didn't think that she liked sex very much until you. Now, I think that she is making up for lost time."

"Has Sarah ever enjoyed it with a mark?"

"Now that is a question that you really need to ask Sarah," said Carina with a laugh. "You're really trying to get me in trouble here. Now I'm guessing because I don't know. We've never actually had this specific discussion. But I would say no. Sarah has always been reluctant to actually sleep with a mark."

"Thank you for this talk. I appreciate your honesty. It helps me understand Sarah a lot better. I'm very, very happy that you're on the team. I'm also glad that you decided to put on my t-shirt."

"Thanks Chuck," said Carina with a beaming smile. "Maybe Sarah should wake us up at five every morning."

- - - -

Sarah smiled as she disconnected the call with Chuck. Oh my goodness, how she missed him. He could always make her feel better. The dream was quickly becoming just an unpleasant memory. "Oh well," she thought to herself. "At least Bryce isn't here." With that in mind, it was a much more pleasurable morning than yesterday had been. Sarah took her time in the shower knowing that Bryce didn't need his turn. That reminded her. "Where is Bryce" she thought to herself. She decided not to look gift horses in the mouth.

Sarah quietly got dressed and headed to the reception room where breakfast was being served. The room was a bustle of activity. Sarah looked around but neither Bryce nor the king was there. As soon as Sarah entered the room, the king's personal assistant walked up to her.

"Mrs. Larkin," she said. "The king would like to speak with you in his private quarters. Would you please follow me?"

"Of course", replied Sarah as the assistant led her down the hall. Sarah forced a smile to her face although she inwardly grimaced at being called by that name. The assistant stopped at a large door and indicated that Sarah should proceed. Sarah stepped up and knocked on the door.

"Come in" Sarah could hear the king's voice through the door.

"Your majesty," Sarah said in a clear voice as she entered the room. "You wanted to see me?"

"Sarah," the king said with a beaming smile. "Please come in my friend. How did you sleep?"

"I slept well, your majesty," said Sarah with a beaming smile. "Thank you for the private room last night. It was very nice of you."

"It was my pleasure," said the king with a laugh. "I very much enjoyed our dancing. Maybe when you bring your husband to Qatar we can do it again. If he will allow it, that is."

"I look forward to it very much," said Sarah with her eyes dancing. "And so will he. I promise that you will love him. He is quite charming."

"I suppose that you're wondering why I asked for you this morning" asked the king.

"Yes, your majesty" replied Sarah.

"I wanted to say goodbye," said the king sadly. "I will go back to Qatar this afternoon. I feel that I'm keeping you away from your husband."

"Your majesty," said Sarah with an alarmed tone. "Please don't cut your visit short because of me. It is far too important that our countries become closer. It would make me feel horrible to feel that I interrupted that."

"Don't worry, Sarah," said the king with a broad grin. "The visit has been a huge success. All of the work has been done. I'll not deny that I had hoped that you and I would become closer. But I see that cannot be. It's time for me to go home. And it's time that you got back to this love that I see in your eyes."

"Your majesty," Sarah said with a cry as she threw her arms around the king. "Please forgive me for being forward. I would enjoy very much if we could become closer. But only as friends, I'm afraid. I just want to thank you for your friendship. I am totally in your debt."

"You can repay me," said the king. "By promising me that we won't have so much time pass before our next meeting. I'm very much looking forward to our next dance. You know, as king I get almost everything that I want. I just wish that I could have you."

"Your majesty," said Sarah as she blushed. "Thank you. That is so unbelievably flattering."

"Goodbye, Sarah."

"Goodbye your majesty" said Sarah as she kissed the king on the cheek.

As Sarah left the room she struggled to keep her composure. After all, she was still in a public area. But even as she struggled, she was unable to contain the huge grin on her face. As soon as she was safely in her room and the door closed, she jumped in the air and pumped her fist. Chuck had better be ready for a huge night.

Sarah was coming home.

- - - -

_It should be noted that almost exactly fifty years later, to the day; Chuck and Sarah were at their Golden Anniversary celebration that was being thrown by their five kids. "Kids" was a stretch since they were all grandparents in their own right. Four generations of the Bartowski extended family filled the hall. The youngest great granddaughter being only six weeks old. It was the first time that they had all been in the same place in many years. For some of the younger ones, it was the first time ever. The only mar on the event was that Casey wasn't there, having passed away two years ago. After the dinner was over and the toast was complete, Sarah grabbed Chuck's hand and led him to a quiet spot. She reminded him of their conversation of nearly fifty years ago that happened while they were a continent apart. She kissed him tenderly and thanked him for keeping his promise. She had indeed felt like the most loved person in the world every day for the past fifty years. She told Chuck that she was now confident enough so that maybe he could quit trying so hard._

_Chuck respectfully declined._


	4. Guardian Angel

_Warning: There is some adult content in this. Nothing major but please use discretion. A special thanks to Natty for her usual great job at the beta thing. I still don't own Chuck._

_Guardian Angel_

- - - -

Sarah was already packed and was just ready to leave for the airport when Bryce walked into the room. He looked tired and upset.

"Is there any reason that the king asked for me to join the night security detail," Bryce said with a distinct edge of hostility. "If you wanted to be alone so you could sneak off to the king's bed, you could have just said so. I wouldn't tell Chuck."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Bryce," Sarah said hotly. "And I didn't sleep with the king if that's what you're saying."

"Are you leaving" Bryce asked as he noticed Sarah's bags for the first time.

"Yes," said Sarah. "I'm going to the airport."

Bryce sat on the edge of the bed and put his head in his hands.

"Ok, Sarah," he said softly. "I'm tired. You win."

"What do you mean, I win" Sarah asked in amazement.

"You wanted to make me jealous," said Bryce. "Ok. It worked. I'm jealous."

"I don't know what you're talking about" Sarah said flatly.

"Ok Sarah," said Bryce as he stood to face Sarah. "Come on. I mean you and Chuck? It's pretty obvious isn't it? You need to hear me say it. You need to break me down. Ok. I want you. Are you happy?"

"You want me" Sarah questioned.

"Yes," said Bryce tenderly as he put his arms around Sarah. "I think that I understand how you feel. But I have to tell you, using Chuck like that is kind of low."

"This is going to kill him, you know" said Sarah while smiling shyly.

"Chuck will be ok," Bryce replied flatly. "He's a survivor. He knows in his heart that he's not in you league. He's a smart guy. He must be anticipating something like this was going to happen. He'll be sad for a while. But he'll get over it."

"How are we going to tell him," Sarah said sadly. "I don't know how to do it."

"Don't worry," said Bryce as he pulled Sarah onto the bed and kissed her with a leer. "We'll figure out something. But first, let me give you something that I know you've been missing."

"Why don't you relax for a minute," Sarah said with her most dazzling Sarah smile as she pushed Bryce onto his back. "I've got this one. This is something that I've been fantasizing about for a while now."

Bryce closed his eyes and let out a moan of pleasure as Sarah unbuttoned and unzipped his pants. He knew that Sarah could never resist his charm. After a moment he felt a sharp pressure. When he opened his eyes, she saw Sarah holding a very large knife against his privates.

"You son of a bitch," Sarah said, the anger making it hard for her to get the words out. "You egotistical self centered bastard. This is your official one and only warning. He loves you. And you would hurt him like this? That wouldn't hurt him, it would kill him. He is the most amazing man in the world and I love him so much. I'll kill you before I'll let you hurt him again. He's been dealt a lot of crappy breaks in the past year but none as bad as having a friend like you. And I'm telling you right now, I swear to you, if I ever get in this position again, I'll cut them off, wrap them up, and include them in Chuck's Christmas present. Do you understand?"

Bryce nodded in fear, afraid to move.

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND" Sarah yelled at the top of her lungs.

"Yes," said Bryce shaking. "I understand."

"Ok, Bryce," said Sarah as she stood up and grabbed her bags. "Here's the deal. Stay the hell away from us. He has enough people trying to hurt him. He doesn't need friends like you."

"And Bryce," said Sarah through gritted teeth as she reached the door and threw the knife into the bed inches from his crotch. "I hope to god that you don't think that I won't do it."

- - - -

Casey was in Carina and Chuck's room going over their plan for today's activities.

"I'm happy to see that you both are fully dressed", said Casey with a growl.

"I know," said Chuck with a laugh. "We both thought that it was time to get some clothes on. Casey, you were right about that yellow nightgown. Did you realize that you can see right through it? It was amazing. She really has a fantastic body. You must really be proud."

"Aw thanks, Chuck," said Carina with a shy smile. "You're not so bad yourself. I don't think that I've ever seen you without a shirt before. I was impressed. Very impressed. It's a good thing that Sarah called. I was having a hard time staying on my side of the bed."

"Well, I have to admit," said Chuck with a grin. "When you're in character, you're in character. I was having a hard time with it at first, especially after Sarah called. But then I finally got into it. I'm sorry where my hand was when we woke up. I must have been dreaming or something."

"Can we get to work here," Casey said with a low growl. "Unless you two would like me to wait outside for a few more minutes while you get back into character."

"Sorry," said Carina with a sly smile. "Actually, I think that Chuck and I are over for now. It's time that I got ready for Scott Wilson. Don't you think?"

"About freaking time," Casey said. "Ok. Chuck will wait outside the hotel for Angel. Once we know for sure that he was able to intercept her, Carina will make her move on Wilson. I'll be in the car monitoring Carina, who I'm hoping can avoid becoming impregnated. Chuck, you're going to be on your own with Angel. I'll take you back to your place to pick up the Porsche."

"Are you sure that's a good idea," Chuck asked timidly. "Do you think that Sarah is going to be ok with me using her car to impress another woman?"

"Do you have a better idea," Casey asked with a sneer. "You're going to have to impress her somehow. I just don't see anything impressive about you without a hot car. Even with the Porsche, it's a stretch."

"But what do I do with her" Chuck asked with a whine.

"I really don't care," said Casey with a derisive laugh. "Do anything that you want. Just keep her away from the hotel."

"Chuck," said Carina softly. "Why don't you take her to dinner and for a drive in the car? Maybe walk on the beach for a while. She'll love that. Just remember to always stay in public. We're talking about a total coke head here. There is no telling what she's into or capable of."

"I'll give you a GPS device to wear," said Casey. "But it's not going to be much good. I'll be stuck here backing up Carina. You'll need to turn off your cell phone. We can't have Sarah calling you and blowing your cover. Call me as soon as you've taken her home. But Carina's right. Be very careful. We have no idea what she might do."

"I feel sorry for her," said Chuck sadly. "Can't we get her some help?"

"That's sweet Chuck," said Carina softly. "It really is. It is so you. But here are the sad facts. Even if you could talk Angel into checking into the very best addiction treatment center in the world, there's an eighty percent relapse rate. Once you're addicted to the extent that Angel is, there is almost no chance of coming back from that. We need to concentrate our efforts in making sure that people like Angel don't become addicts in the first place. That's a hell of a lot more effective than trying to help them once they are addicted, especially when they don't want to be helped."

"It's time to man up Bartowski," Casey said. "Your job is just to keep her out of the way tonight and tomorrow. Period. Not to fall in love with her."

'What," asked Chuck incredulously? "I'm not going to fall in love with her. I just feel sorry for her. I would like to help her if I could. What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing, I guess," said Casey with a grin. "Good luck explaining that to Sarah."

- - - -

Sarah was at the airport. She was fuming. Fuming to the point that people were getting out of her way. Not only had Bryce infuriated her, the first flight to L.A. wasn't departing until seven that evening. That gave her several hours to kill. She spent the first hour on the phone yelling at Director Graham about Bryce. He wisely sensed that she needed to vent and just let her rant, even though much of what she said bordered on insubordination. At least he promised that he would do his best to keep them apart. When Sarah finally ended her call, she realized that she still had several hours to kill. Then the idea hit her. She hadn't been to visit her apartment.

It had been almost two years since she had been inside. On the cab ride all of the old memories of being a young agent came flooding back. She smiled as she remembered the years of living and working in Washington. The apartment was just as she had remembered. She had come so used to living on the road that she had forgotten how good it felt to feel at home. She smiled as she looked at the pictures on the wall and the figurines on the end table. Then it hit her.

"I need to bring Chuck here," she thought to herself. "He would love seeing this. This is something about myself that I can share with him."

Kicking herself for not having thought of it earlier, she vowed that she would bring him as soon as she could work it out. Just as she was ready to leave, there was a knock at the door. Her heart sank as she looked through the door and saw Bryce standing there. She thought that if she were quite, he would go away.

"Come on, Sarah," said Bryce through the door. "I thought that you'd be here. I know that you're in there. I saw you come into the building."

"Bryce, go away" Sarah called through the door.

"Sarah," Bryce said in a pleading voice. "Please let me in. I want to talk."

"Bryce," Sarah said. "I'm warning you. If you come in here, you're going to get hurt."

"Please Sarah," said Bryce. "I just want to talk. I promise that I won't touch you."

"Ok," said Sarah as she opened the door. "Talk fast. I have a flight to catch."

"You're serious aren't you," said Bryce sadly as he entered the room. "You really did pick Chuck over me? That's never happened before."

"Wow," said Sarah with a derisive laugh. "You are really arrogant enough that you can't believe that someone would actually pick Chuck over you. That's it isn't it?"

"I just want to know why."

"Ok," said Sarah firmly. "I'll tell you why. I'll admit that if you and Chuck were trying to pick up a random girl in a bar someplace, you'd win ninety nine times out of a hundred. It's only when you spend some serious time with Chuck that you discover how wonderful he truly is. He is a real person, not some good looking façade. He cares about people. And he loves me, which is something that I don't think that you even understand. I know that you've said that you love me. But it's totally not the same. I've never felt loved in my whole life until I met Chuck. He would never, ever do anything to hurt me. His first and last thoughts are my happiness. He would put my needs above his own without question. Now I'm going to spend the rest of my life content that my first and last thoughts are going to be his happiness."

Bryce just looked at her.

"And Bryce," Sarah continued with a smile growing on her lips. "I know that you think that you're really good in bed. And you are, I suppose. After all, you've had plenty of practice. But you've never lived until you've made love with someone who really truly loves you. It's a hundred times better. I plan on having that experience later tonight. Hopefully, more than once. You'll forgive me if I don't think about you."

Bryce turned and left the apartment without saying a word.

- - - -

Chuck was waiting outside of the hotel. Finally he spotted Angel approaching.

"Hi Angel," Chuck said with a smile. "Remember me?"

"Charles," Angel said in a shocked whisper. "What are you doing here? How did you find me?"

"I hired a private investigator to find you," said Chuck. "I wanted to talk to you. I looked for you at the club but they said that you didn't work there anymore."

"Yea," said Angel. "Every since the party got raided and I got out of jail, I haven't been back."

"I hear you," said Chuck with a small laugh. "It's the first time I've ever been arrested. I didn't care for it much."

"I know," said Angel with a laugh of her own. "At least you had clothes on. I was naked waiting for you. What happened to you?"

"They questioned me for a few hours and when they realized that I didn't know anything they let me go," Chuck said. "How about you?"

"Pretty much the same. Charles, I have to go."

"Angel, can we talk someplace?"

"I'm sorry, Charles," replied Angel. "I'm working."

"I know," said Chuck. "Ladies on Your Arm? I called them. I got you reassigned to me tonight."

"But what about the john in there" Angel asked.

"They are sending a replacement," Chuck said with a smile as he took Angel's arm and walked towards the car. "Can we talk about this in the car?"

"I don't know Charles," said Angel hesitantly. "My services are pretty expensive."

"Not to worry," said Chuck with a smile. "I think that I've got that covered."

"Holly shit," said Angel in amazement as they stopped in front of the Porsche. "Is this your car?"

"Do you like it? Get in."

"So what's going on," said Angel as they roared out of the parking lot. "I totally love this car."

"Well, this might sound strange," said Chuck slowly. "But I wanted to get to know you. Not the dancer, not the pro, just you. So I figured that it wasn't fair to ask you to give up your income to go on a date with me. Instead, I'll hire you. Maybe someday, we can go on a real date. But that's up to you. For now though, where do you want to eat?"

- - - -

Carina was in the car with Casey watching Chuck. She was wearing a green cocktail dress that screamed "jump me". The slit and cleavage were both at their maximum limits. The color of the dress was perfect to augment her hair. She looked fantastic. As soon as she saw Chuck and Angel drive off she entered the hotel. She went into the restaurant and spotted Scott Wilson sitting at a table. He walked up to him and put on her most dazzling smile.

"Mr. Wilson," she said. Hi. My name is Carina. Angel isn't feeling well tonight and they asked me to fill in for her. Would that be ok with you?"

Wilson very conspicuously looked Carina over from head to toe. Finally he smiled.

"Well Carina," said Wilson. "It looks like I just got the first class upgrade. Please sit down."

- - - -

It was about eight o'clock when Sarah's flight landed in L.A. She hadn't let anyone know that she was arriving because she had wanted to surprise Chuck. Well actually, she wanted to do a lot more than surprise Chuck. While she was in the cab, she dialed Chuck's number. It went directly to his voice mail. Next she tried Carina. Her phone also went directly to voice mail. Getting a little concerned, she tried Casey. Thankfully, he answered on the second ring.

"Sarah," Casey answered with a laugh. "How is Washington? Have you killed Larkin yet?"

"Casey," said Sarah, ignoring his questions. "Where is Chuck?"

"Well actually," said Casey hesitantly. "I'm not exactly sure."

"What the hell does that mean" Sarah said loudly.

As Casey explained the situation Sarah hit the roof.

"So, let me understand," she said angrily. "You allowed the intersect, not to mention, my husband, to go off alone without backup with a cocaine addicted hooker who has a known association to the drug kingpin that we just executed? Are you out of your freaking mind? What could you possibly be thinking?"

"I'm sorry, Sarah," Casey said softly. "In hind sight it might not have been the best idea. But don't worry. He'll be fine. He just took her for a drive. I told him to call as soon as he takes her home."

"Drive," Sarah asked. "What is he driving?"

"He's driving the Porsche."

"Oh," said Sarah sarcastically. "This story just keeps getting better and better doesn't it? Are you sure that you didn't tell him to zip up to Stanford after he's done with this coke head to covertly find out what color panties Jill is wearing tonight?"

"Look Sarah, I'm sorry," said Casey. "I'll have him call you. Will you be able to take his call?"

"I'm home," said Sarah. "The king left early. But don't tell Chuck. I'd like to surprise him. Assuming he survives of course."

"I'll have him" Casey said and stopped when he realized that Sarah had ended the call.

"Oh shit" he said to himself as he recognized the trouble that he was in.

- - - -

Chuck was driving Angel home. In all honesty, Chuck had to admit that they actually had a pretty good time. It turned out that Angel loved seafood so they went to her favorite place on the wharf. Chuck wasn't big on seafood but the fresh salmon that he ordered was quite good. After eating, Chuck took Angel for a drive by the beach. The curves in the road were a perfect match to the performance characteristics of the Porsche. He could tell by her face that Angel was really enjoying the drive. After a while they stopped and walked holding hands on the beach, just making small talk. Then Chuck suggested that it was time to take her home. As Chuck pulled up to Angel's building, he offered to walk her in.

"That's ok," said Angel with a laugh. "You can't leave this car parked in this neighborhood. It would never be here when you got back."

"Ok," said Chuck. "Thank you. I really had a good time tonight."

"So did I," said Angel with a laugh as she got out of the car. "It's the most fun I've had in a long time. Maybe we can go on a real date someday. "That is if our relationship was remotely real. Well goodnight."

"What did you say," Chuck whispered to himself as tears filled his eyes. The very phrase that he had used so often to describe his relationship with Sarah hit him like a ton of bricks.

Chuck was having a hard time driving through his tears. He had never in his life felt so lonely. He missed Sarah so much that it was hard to keep from sobbing in the car. As he got close to home, he remembered that he was supposed to call Casey. He turned on his cell phone and instantly recognized that he had missed seven calls from Sarah. That just made him feel even worse.

"Please don't let me not talk to her tonight" he said out loud but to no one.

Casey answered on the first ring.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes. I just dropped Angel off. I'm almost home."

"Call Sarah. She wants to talk to you right away."

The phone went dead.

Sarah answered on the first ring as he was pulling into the apartment.

"Chuck, thank god," she said in a shaky voice. "Are you alright? Where are you?"

"I'm home," he replied through his tears. I'm in the parking lot and am just going in to the apartment. I really miss you. Is there any way you can come home? I don't think I can take another night. I really need to hold you."

"Babe," said Sarah softly. "Don't worry. The time will go by fast. You're going to see me before you know it. I promise."

As Chuck opened the door and walked into the apartment, he saw Sarah standing there with the phone to her ear and tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I told you the time would go by fast," she said with a sob. "I always keep my promises."

Suddenly they were in each others arms. The phones were lying on the floor where Chuck and Sarah had dropped them. They were frantically tried to kiss each other and hug each other at the same time. For the moment anyway, hugging won out. They held each other so tightly that they had a hard time breathing but neither one complained.

Finally Chuck spoke.

"How are you here?"

"The king went home early. I've been here for a couple of hours"

"Why didn't you call?"

"I did call," Sarah said with a laugh. "I think that I called ten times."

"I'm so sorry," Chuck said with a sigh. "I didn't know."

"Hey," said Sarah. "This isn't the time to be sorry. This is the time to take me to bed."

"I would never say no to that."

About twenty minutes later Chuck and Sarah were in their bed trying to catch their respective breaths.

"Wow," said Chuck while panting for air. "That was incredible. I've missed you so much."

"I hope that you're pacing yourself," Sarah said with a sly smile. "I have a whole night planned. Then we'll have to stop messing around and get to the actual sex."

Sarah got out of bed and walked over to where their cell phones were still on the floor and picked them up.

"What are you doing with my phone" Chuck asked.

"I'm checking to see how many times I called you tonight."

"Babe," said Chuck as he tried to grab his phone out of Sarah's hand. "Please give me my phone."

Sarah looked at Chuck with a sad expression.

"Why did Bryce call you today? Tell me the truth."

"He said that he thought that I should know something," Chuck said sadly. "He told me what happened in Boston three years ago."

"No" whispered Sarah as tears flowed from her eyes.

Chuck hurried over to embrace Sarah.

"It's ok," he said soothingly.

"I'm so sorry," Sarah said with a sob. "Please don't hate me."

"Look at me" Chuck said softly as he backed away to look Sarah in the eye.

"I know that you've been asked to make some horrible sacrifices," Chuck said slowly. "And that makes me sad. It does. I feel so sorry for you. But don't think that for one second it's going to change the way I feel about you. Because it's not. If anything, it just makes me admire you all the more. For you to have gone through what you have and still be this incredible is, well incredible. And you were going to tell me sometime anyway. Because you're going to tell me everything eventually. I just found this out a little sooner, thanks to our good friend Bryce."

"Are you sure" Sarah asked?

"Now who's being stone cold stupid," Chuck answered. "Come on babe. You're the most loved woman in the world. The rest of my life is dedicated to making sure that you never question that. I guess I didn't do a very good job today. I promise I'll try harder tomorrow."

Sarah couldn't keep from laughing.

"No Chuck. You're doing great. Thank you. It's just that being the most loved woman in the world is kind of intimidating. I like it though. I just need to get used to it."

"Do you think that we could continue our nighttime of pre sex now" Chuck asked.

"Absolutely. But the next time we see Bryce, can I throw a knife at him?"

"Absolutely. As many as you want."

After a few minutes, Sarah's phone rang. She picked up her phone and saw that it was Casey.

"Yes" she answered in a good natured voice forgetting for the moment how angry she was with him.

"I'm sorry to interrupt the homecoming," said Casey urgently. "But we have a bit of a situation here. Carina is in big trouble."

- - - -


	5. Choices

_Warning: There is some adult content in this. Nothing major but please use discretion. As always, thanks to Natty for the beta and encouragement. I still don't own Chuck._

_Choices_

- - - -

As soon as Sarah got off the phone she yelled to Chuck.

"Get dressed. Casey and Carina will be here in twenty minutes. Apparently we have problems."

"Don't we always," said Chuck with a sigh. "Come on babe, you just got here. Can't they leave us alone for two freaking hours?"

"I'm sorry," said Sarah as she walked over to him. "I'm afraid that work comes first."

"But we were just in the middle of something important", Chuck said as he pulled a very naked Sarah onto his lap.

"Chuck," Sarah said with a giggle. "We need to get dressed. I'm not sure Carina could handle seeing us like this. And I'm totally sure that Casey couldn't."

"Oh come on," Chuck said with a short laugh. "I'm sure that Casey could manage seeing you naked. He could just not look at me."

"Maybe," replied Sarah. "But are you sure that you're ok with that? In the past, you've always wanted me to have clothes on around other men. Is this a new position that you're officially taking or are you just trying to keep me naked for a while longer?"

"Ok, I'm busted," Chuck grumbled as he let go of Sarah and pulled on his t-shirt. "But this had better be good."

After they were dressed, Chuck again pulled Sarah onto his lap and began kissing her. After a couple of moments Chuck snaked his hand up Sarah's shirt.

"Down boy," said Sarah with a laugh as she grabbed Chuck's hand to prevent it from reaching its target. "Don't start something that you're not going to be able to finish. I owe you a thank you for making me feel better this morning when I was upset about the dream. I'll tell you what, as soon as they leave, I'll pay off."

"Does that mean what I think it means?"

"Yes," said Sarah with a sly smile. "Does that sound ok?"

"It depends on long they stay," Chuck said with a laugh. "They haven't gotten here yet and they've already worn out their welcome."

"Let's think about something else to calm us down" suggested Sarah as she moved off of Chuck's lap.

"Sorry," said Chuck with a laugh. "You just lit the booster rockets. There's nothing to do now except get ready for blast off."

"Let's try," said Sarah. "Or else Casey and Carina are going to see quite a show. Think of something not sexy."

"Great," said Chuck. "In that case, you might want to consider buttoning one more button on your shirt. But I have something. Tell me about Bryce. He made a move on you today didn't he?"

"I'm afraid so," Sarah said sadly. "I'm sorry."

"Why should you be sorry," Chuck asked with a grin. "I'm really hoping that you don't have to feel sorry. How far did he get anyway?"

"Not very far," Sarah said with a laugh. "I'm not sorry about that, silly. I'm just sorry that I had to tell you that your best friend tried to betray you. If it's any consolation, I told him that if he ever touched me again, I would cut off his nuts and wrap them up for you as a Christmas present."

"That's awful."

"I'm sorry Chuck. I was really pissed. I almost did it."

"No," said Chuck with a grin. "I don't mean that. I wouldn't have a problem with that. I'm just looking forward to getting a Playstation III for Christmas. Or maybe a Wii. Bryce's nuts are way down on my list. Talk about a challenging gift to wrap."

"We'll see," said Sarah thoughtfully. "You know how I feel about video games."

"So," Chuck said with a wry smile. "Is Bryce the only one who wanted you to sleep with them on this trip? Two whole days and only one pass, I'd say that's a little below average for you. You must have worn the bra the whole time, huh? Didn't you wear makeup?"

"Well a couple of guys at the airport were making eye contact," said Sarah with a huge grin. "And there was the king of course. But he just asked. He didn't grab me or anything."

"Great," said Chuck with a sarcastic laugh. "How polite. Such a civil way to ask a married woman to sleep with you. He must have attended finishing school. It almost makes me want to send him a thank you note."

"He was very nice," Sarah said with a sad smile. "He got rid of Bryce for me and cut his trip short because he knew how much I missed you. He could have gotten the CIA to put a lot of pressure on me to sleep with him if he had wanted to but he didn't. He wants us to come to Qatar and meet him."

"Here's a news flash for you," Chuck said with a laugh. "I'm not sure that they covered this in CIA seduction training but most men are really nice to the beautiful women that they hope to get in their pants."

"It was covered," said Sarah with a smile. "Trust me. It was covered over and over and over. That was the whole point."

"So, are we going to Qatar?"

"I don't think so," said Sarah thoughtfully. "I can't see the CIA letting the intersect go to Qatar. Maybe someday when we're rid of it we could think about it. But I really can't see it happening. The king wants in my pants and I'm pretty sure that you don't want him there. I really don't see you two getting along."

"No, you're right," Chuck said as he nodded his head in agreement. "Those pants are just perfect as they are."

"I would like to take you to see my apartment in Washington though," said Sarah. "I was just thinking about that today when I was there. Would you like that?"

"Would you be working or could we spend time together?"

"Well Chuck," said Sarah with a giggle. "With your ability to flash on some random bad guy every ten minutes you never know. Hopefully, we could just go and have some fun for a week or so. We could really use the rest. I'd love to show you around Washington. Would you like that?"

"Have you and Bryce ever, you know, there?"

"Of course," said Sarah sadly. "Bryce and I were together for two years. We stayed there whenever we had to go to Washington. But please don't let that bother you. Come with me and help me replace those memories with some good ones with you. Would you? I'd really love that. It would give me a chance to let you know me better. You're always looking for ways to do that. I lived in that apartment full time for over five years. I can't wait to be there with the love of my life. I may have had sex there but I've never made love. Please help me fix that."

"I'd love that," Chuck said, his face turning into a full fledged grin. "You know that anyplace that you are is my favorite place to be."

"That's sweet."

"You're really excited about this, aren't you?"

"I really am. I can't believe that I didn't think of it sooner."

"Then let's go as soon as we can."

"Great, I'll make the arrangements."

"That reminds me," Chuck said with a start. "Carina and I are messing with Casey over last night. Just so you know. If you could act a little jealous, that would be so great."

"Wow," said Sarah thoughtfully. "I'm not sure that is such a good idea. This is a serious mission. We need Casey's head in the game."

"Please," Chuck pleaded. "It's just fun. He so has it coming."

"We'll see."

Just then there was a knock at the door. Chuck opened the door and let Casey and Carina into the apartment. Sarah walked up to Casey and kicked him directly in the left shin. Casey hopped around the room in agony finally coming to rest on the couch.

"Son of a bitch," he yelled as he rubbed his bruised shin. "Damn that hurt. What the hell was that for?"

"That was for letting our asset go off without backup with a drug addict," said Sarah angrily with her eyes boring holes through Casey. "Be very grateful. I let you off easy. The next time that I kick you it's going to be two feet higher. Instead of rubbing your sore shin for a couple of minutes you'll be in the bathroom puking your guts out. Do we understand each other?"

"Yes ma'am," said Casey softly, still rubbing his leg. "Thank you ma'am."

Carina stepped up to Sarah and looked at her feet.

"Please don't kick me" she said softly.

Sarah threw her arms around Carina's neck and hugged her tightly.

"That's for taking care of my husband while I was gone," she said smiling with a distinct twinkle in her eye. "We'll talk about your punishment later."

"If we're done with the homecoming," Casey said softly. "Can we please get some work done? We're in trouble here."

"What's the issue" Sarah asked, suddenly serious.

"Scott Wilson wants Carina to attend a pool party tomorrow," Casey said with a sigh. "She is supposed to meet him at the hotel with her bathing suit. Then he will take her to the party. It sounds like a Roman orgy deal to me."

"What's the problem," asked Chuck. "Why don't we just tail her to the party? It would be just like Sarah and I at Matlin's party,"

"Well genius," said Casey with a sneer. "Have you ever seen Carina's bathing suit? There's not much room to hide a wire. And that's assuming that she keeps it on all night, which my guess would be is a really bad assumption. Not even considering that actually getting into the water is really hard on the electronics. That means that she would totally be on her own. She couldn't even carry a weapon. She would be totally defenseless. We can't risk that."

"I don't think that I have ever seen Carina's bathing suit," Chuck said trying to look thoughtful. "I think that I have seen her birthday suit. Does that count?"

"Where is the party being held," Sarah said ignoring Chuck. "Can we get there and plant wires before the party starts?"

"We don't know where," Carina sighed. "I was instructed to meet Scott Wilson at the hotel with my bikini on under my clothes. The way they were talking, I'm thinking that this is a semi regular thing for the high roller givers. Get them drunk and laid, that sort of thing. It would be a great chance to find out what they're up to and how they're getting so much money."

"It's too dangerous," said Chuck with a sigh. "We can't let Carina do that. Even if she is wearing a wire, she's going to be expected to sleep with some guys. It's not worth that."

"Come on Chuck," Carina said softly. "I know that you mean well. I do. But please don't tell me how far I'm willing to go to do my job. That's not fair. It's tying my hands. I'm not your wife. This is what I've been trained to do. And I think that I should do it. It offends me that you would presume to judge me. If I have to screw every guy in there to stop these terrorists, I'm going to do it. That's my duty. You have no right to tell me not to."

"I'm sorry," said Chuck with tears forming in his eyes. "I didn't mean to insult you. Please forgive me if I insulted you. I'm not judging you other than admiring you like crazy. More than that, you're my friend. I love you. I just don't want to see you make that kind of sacrifice. It's not worth it."

"It's ok," said Carina as she stepped up and hugged Chuck. "It's really sweet that you're looking out for me. But I'm a big girl. I know that that you don't think that it's worth it. But I do."

"And Chuck," said Carina with a smile. "I know what you're trying to say. I love you too."

"But come on Carina," said Sarah firmly. "You can't go in there blind without backup and for no way for us to hear if you get into trouble. That's not a sacrifice, that's foolish."

"I've got it," Chuck suddenly exclaimed. "I know who knows where that party is; Angel. I bet she's been there before."

"Let's have her picked up," said Casey. "Maybe we can intimidate her into giving something up."

"That would never work," said Carina flatly. "These people hate police. She would rot in jail before she would rat out anyone."

"Chuck can talk to her," said Sarah. "He has a relationship with her. She'll listen to him. It's worth a shot."

"Can we offer her some help," Chuck asked softly. "I mean, she's dead inside of a year the way she's going now, right?"

"Probably less," Carina said. "If she cooperates, I can pull some strings and get her in the top rehab center in the world. But she would have to want to be helped. Otherwise it's a waste of time."

"I'll talk to her," Chuck said with a sigh. "It's worth a shot. What do we have to lose?"

"Ok," said Casey. "Chuck will call Angel first thing in the morning and take her to breakfast. He'll bring her here and Chuck and Sarah can offer the deal to her. A spot in the top rehab program in exchange for the location of the party. But if she doesn't go for it, we'll have no choice but to bust her. We can't have her around to tip someone off after we blow our cover. We'll decide on how to proceed with the party after we find out what Angel is willing to tell us."

"Sounds good," said Sarah as Casey and Carina were walking out the door. "We'll talk tomorrow."

As soon as Casey and Carina had left, Sarah turned to Chuck.

"Do you want to talk about Angel" Sarah asked sadly.

"Oh please," said Chuck in a frustrated voice. "Don't tell me that you're jealous of Angel."

"I'm not jealous," said Sarah. "I just think that you are the most amazing man I've ever heard of. Why do you care so much for this girl that you don't even know?"

She's a person," Chuck said slowly after pausing to think for a minute. "I know that most of the people that you deal with are scum. I get that. But sometimes people just get caught up in things. They're good people, they just make bad choices. That's what I think about Angel. She's basically a good person. She's just made some bad choices. If I can help her, I want to. I'm not so naïve to think that I can help her if she doesn't want to be helped. And I know that I can't save everyone. But someday I might make a bad choice. One of our kids might make a bad choice someday. Wouldn't you want someone to help them?"

"How could Jill have possibly ever let you go" Sarah asked softly as she shook her head.

"It's a mystery," Chuck replied with a smile. "I guess she just made a bad choice."

"Yes," said Sarah with an obvious twinkle in her eye. "Too bad, I don't feel like helping her. Are you ready for me to thank you properly now?"

"Absolutely."

"Well then, get ready to blast off."


	6. Romance

_Warning: There is some adult content in this. Nothing major but please use discretion. As always, thanks to Brickroad for the advice and Natty for the beta and encouragement. I still don't own Chuck._

_Romance_

- - - -

Chuck and Sarah had just resumed normal breathing patterns after their return to earth from the blast off when Sarah's phone began to ring.

"This is a nightmare," Chuck said to Sarah with a sad smile as he shook his head in disgust. "A freaking nightmare. Doesn't anyone here understand the concept of a honeymoon?"

Sarah looked at the phone and saw that is was Carina.

Sarah answered the call angrily. "You do realize that we've been married for twelve days and we've been together for an hour since I've been gone for two days. Carina, you know that I love you but this had better freaking be good."

After listening for a moment, Sarah turned to Chuck.

"I'm going to put them on speaker phone. They want to talk to us about tomorrow."

As soon as Sarah had placed the phone into speaker mode, Chuck could hear Carina speaking.

"Casey and I were talking about our plans for tomorrow," she said. "We think that we have a better idea."

"We're listening" Sarah said flatly.

"We're concerned that Angel won't cooperate," said Carina. "I mean, why would she? She hardly knows Chuck. She hates law enforcement. And if she ever finds out that I am a DEA agent, forget it. Her instincts are going to tell her to just not say anything."

"I agree," said Sarah. "She probably won't help us. We always knew that it was a long shot. But what choice do we have?"

"We were thinking," said Casey. "If we could have Romeo here romance her for a few days, he might be able to get closer to her. Maybe he can talk her into cooperating. I'm sure she knows a lot about what's going on there. If she has a relationship with Chuck, he might be able to get her to at least listen to us with an open mind."

"But I don't understand," Sarah said in a confused tone. "How is that going to help Carina at the party tomorrow?"

"It won't," said Carina. "I'll have to cancel for tomorrow. I'm pretty sure that they have these parties every week anyway. It might be a little awkward but I'll flirt my way out of it. If we could get Angel's help, it would go a long way towards me learning something when I do get there."

"Wait a minute," Chuck said with a whine. "Who said anything about romancing? I don't want to romance Angel. I'm supposed to be on my honeymoon for goodness sake."

"You don't have to romance her," said Sarah with a short laugh. "Just make friends with her."

"But I don't know what to do" Chuck said.

Don't worry babe," Sarah said soothingly. "You'll be wearing a wire and an earpiece just like the party the other night. I'll be tailing you the whole time. I'll be listening to you and I'll be able to talk you through anything that might happen."

"You'll be listening to me trying to get close to another woman," Chuck said sarcastically. "That shouldn't add any pressure. Why would you be tailing me? I was alone with Angel all night."

"Yea, I know," said Sarah with a definite edge in her voice. 'I guess that the team needs one agent with some common sense."

"You know that I'll have to take the Porsche," said Chuck timidly. "Right? Angel loves the car."

"Yes," replied Sarah coldly. "Again with the common sense thing."

"But what will you drive", Chuck asked. "If I have the Porsche."

"She can take my car" Carina said.

"We'll come over in the morning," Casey said. "We'll drop off Carina's car and the surveillance equipment. I'll stay with Carina and monitor her as she meets with Scott Wilson. Sarah, you'll be on Chuck. Does that sound ok?"

"Well I like the idea of Sarah being on Chuck," Chuck said with a grin. "It's about time someone got into the spirit of this honeymoon thing. I'm pretty sure that's not the way you meant it though."

"Grow up" Sarah said with a smile as she slapped Chuck playfully on the arm.

"Ok," said Casey in disgust. "We'll see you tomorrow."

"Oh, and guys," said Sarah firmly as she disconnected the call. "Let's fully understand each other. If I get another call tonight, one or both of you had better be dead."

As soon as Sarah put away her phone, she turned to Chuck.

"Are you ok with this" she asked.

"I guess," Chuck said hesitantly. "Are there going to be any ground rules? I mean, I don't want to make you jealous."

"It's usually you in this situation. What would make you jealous" Sarah asked with a mischievous smile.

"I would be jealous just having the conversation that we are right now," Chuck said thoughtfully. "Just talking about you flirting with another guy makes me jealous."

"I'll admit," said Sarah shyly. "I'm a little jealous thinking about it too. I guess that it's only fair that I deal with it after all of the times that I've demanded that you do. I think that we both understand the rules that you've given me. The mission and our safety come first but try and minimize any physical stuff and no sex. Right? I would expect you to follow those same rules."

"Yea," said Chuck gleefully. "That's right, isn't it? The shoe is on the other foot. It'll be your turn to be jealous."

"Yes," said Sarah with a sly smile. "And it'll be your turn to try and get close to someone while the love of your life is listening to you and praying to god that they understand."

"Touché," said Chuck with a laugh as he cupped Sarah's face and kissed her tenderly. "Since the shoe is on the other foot, I'll do for you what I hope you would do for me. I'll make sure that you know that no matter what happens, no matter what words you hear, that you're the most loved person in the world. And that I would never even think of having any romantic feelings for anybody but you."

"And I'll do what I would expect from you," Sarah said softly as she laid her head on Chuck's chest. "I'll support your mission and if I get jealous, and I probably will, I'll wait until the mission is over and we're alone to talk about it."

"And in that same spirit," Chuck said with a snicker. "I'll make that night in bed all about you. I'll be your virtual love slave, just to make it up to you. Your wish will be my command."

"Nice try bub," Sarah said with a laugh as she slapped Chuck's shoulder. "I'm thinking that you just figured out that you're going to be on the receiving side of that bargain way more often than I am. But, ok. You've got a deal."

"Pretty clever," said Chuck with a smile as he kissed Sarah. "Don't you think? I'm really starting to get into this genius of the team thing."

"Maybe genius," said Sarah as she kissed Chuck passionately. "But being so brilliant, I would have thought that you had already figured this out. To me, your wish has been my command every since I heard you say I do. But just so we understand each other, if you mess up my car, your commands are going to be issued from out on the couch."

"I'm not sure what's making you more jealous," Chuck said nervously. "Me with another girl or another girl enjoying your car."

Sarah smiled the smile of someone who knew that she was totally in control.

"It's a toss up."

- - - -

Angel was waiting on the sidewalk when Chuck pulled up in the Porsche. She was wearing a pair of cut off blue jean shorts and a talk top. Her hair was pulled back into a pony tail. Before Angel had always looked sexy but in sort of an overt, almost slutty, way. Today, she could only be described as cute. It was very appealing. She looked like the classic girl next door.

"Hi Angel," Chuck said with a smile as she hopped in the car. "It's really nice to see you."

"Charles," said Angel apprehensively. "What's going on? I got a call from the agency saying that you wanted me for the whole day. They told me to dress for a lot of walking."

"Yea," said Chuck. "You're dressed great."

"But what's going on," Angel said a little more forcefully. "This is a little weird."

"Sure," said Chuck with a smile on his face. "Of course it is. Actually, it's very weird. But I had a really good time last night."

"I had a good time too," said Angel cautiously. "But you do know that I'm a pro, right? Why don't you take me to a nice hotel and I'll give you your money's worth?"

"Come on ,Angel," said Chuck. "I would think that you should know by now that I'm not going to pay you for sex. Of course, I know that you're a pro. You want to know what's going on."

Angel nodded.

"Ok," said Chuck. "Here's the deal, straight up: I like you. A lot. But I know that you're a pro. You would never just go on a date with me. And, while I have money, I don't want to pay for sex. So I thought I would hire you to go on a few dates and maybe we can get to know each other better. Maybe someday, you'll want to go out without being on the clock. That's when we can have a discussion about sex."

"Charles," Angel said hesitantly. "I like you. I had fun yesterday. But this is my life. I really don't see that happening."

"If it never happens, I'm ok with that," said Chuck. "Totally your call. I just have to know. Let's just have some fun for a few days and see what happens. Worst case, you'll have made some money and I won't have to wonder what might have been. Ok?"

"Ok," said Angel with a laugh. "It's weird, but ok. Where are we going anyway?"

"It's a surprise," said Chuck. Why don't you sit back and enjoy the ride."

"I do love this car," Angel said with a sigh. "Can't we just spend the day driving around?"

"Maybe some other time," said Chuck with a grin. "But I have plans for today."

- - - -

Sarah was talking to Casey on the phone while she was tailing Chuck.

"Was Carina able to get out of the party" Sarah asked.

"No problem," said Casey with a laugh. "She has this Scott Wilson dude wrapped around her little finger."

"I'm pretty sure that's not where he would want to be wrapped" Sarah said with a laugh.

"You're probably right," said Casey. "Anyway, she is set up for the party next week. How is your boy doing?"

"He's doing fine," Sarah said with a sigh. "It's sort of rough having to listen to him being this charming to another woman. I didn't think it would bother me this much."

"Carina and I are almost done for the day," Casey said. "I can come and relieve you if you want."

"That's ok," said Sarah. "It's hard but it's sort of like a train wreck. I wouldn't be able to tear myself away from this anyway."

- - - -

"Disneyland," Angel said the amazement obvious in her voice. "You're taking me to Disneyland?"

"Why not," said Chuck with an ear to ear grin. "Have you ever been here before?"

"No," said Angel. "Not too many guys take hookers to Disneyland."

"Really," said Chuck in mock amazement as they walked to Space Mountain. "I thought that is where they got the idea for Fantasyland. And I was so looking forward to checking it out."

"So," said Angel with concern as they were standing in line. "What kind of ride is this Space Mountain anyway?"

"No worries," said Chuck dismissively. "It's just a simulation of being in outer space. You get to see all of the stars. It's sort of a sightseeing thing."

"You son of a bitch," said Angel with a big laugh as she got off the ride. "Very funny. That's the last time I trust you on a ride."

"Sorry," said Chuck struggling to speak from laughing. "I just had to. It was the devil. I loved hearing you scream like a ten year old. I promise that was the scariest ride here. Everything else is pretty tame."

"Ok," said Angel cautiously. "What's next?"

"Ok," said Chuck excitedly. "Next is Star Tours. Don't worry at all about this ride. You just sit in a theater and watch a movie."

- - - -

Sarah was sitting in the car in the Disneyland parking lot feeling sorry for herself when she suddenly hear a knock at the window. When she turned to see what it was, she saw Carina getting into the car.

"What are you doing here" Sarah asked.

"Casey dropped me off," said Carina with a sad smile. "I thought that you might want some company. This must be sort of hard for you to have to listen too all day. How are you holding up?"

"This is so hard," Sarah said softly. "I never understood why Chuck would act so off whenever I had to get close to some mark. Didn't he understand that I was just acting? It used to piss me off. How could he possibly doubt my love for him? Now I understand what he was feeling. It really sucks."

"I know," said Carina as she slid over to Sarah and put her arm around her. "We've been trained to ignore those feelings. Sometimes it makes me feel like I'm not really a person. But it's impossible to ignore what you feel for Chuck. That's what makes what you guys have so special. I know it's hard but I've had a lot of time to talk to Chuck. Trust me; you have nothing to worry about. He loves you more than anything I can imagine. This must be killing him as well. I'm actually surprised that he is doing this well."

"I know," said Sarah sadly as she put her head on Carina's shoulder. "He's going well because he would do anything that I asked him to. He understands how important it is to our mission and your safety."

"But," continued Sarah as she fought unsuccessfully to suppress a sob. "It's still so hard."

- - - -

Chuck and Angel explored Disneyland the whole day. Chuck's enthusiasm was very infectious. Angel spent most of the day either listening to Chuck describe the next activity or laughing about what they just done. As they were walking down Main Street USA, Chuck offered his hand. He was pleasantly surprised when Angel cautiously took it. From that point on, Chuck made a point of taking her hand whenever they walked. They looked like a couple of teenagers swinging their arms together as they walked from attraction to attraction. The only mar on the day was the frequent breaks that Angel would take. She never said so, but it was obvious that she was using the excuse to do some coke. During one of those breaks, Chuck contacted Sarah.

"Hi babe," said Chuck into his wire. "Are you there? I'm alone for a couple of minutes."

"I'm here," was Sarah's almost immediate response. "Is anything wrong?"

"No. Nothing's wrong. I just wanted to hear your voice. I'm just worried about you. How are you doing?"

"Chuck, don't worry about me," Sarah said a little more firmly than she intended. "You need to concentrate on your mission. We'll talk tonight. You're really doing great."

"I just want to tell you that I love you."

"I know," said Sarah softly. "But save that for tonight. Right now, concentrate on the mission. Do you understand?"

"Yes ma'am," said Chuck softly. "I understand."

- - - -

At the end of a very long day at Disneyland, Chuck drove Angel home. She struggled to stay awake during the drive. As they pulled up to her building, Chuck turned to her.

"I hope that you had a good time" Chuck said with a grin.

"I'm pretty sure that I did," said Angel with a tired smile. "I'm so tired right now that I really don't remember. I'm sorry that I wore down. I'm not used to this much walking."

"That's ok," said Chuck with a smile. "It takes a few times to get your Disney legs. Are you up for tomorrow?"

"Sure," said Angel with broader smile. "What are we going to do tomorrow?"

"You'll find out tomorrow," said Chuck with a mischievous grin. It won't be as physical. Dress the same as today but bring your suit and a towel."

"Are you sure that you don't want to come up and get your money's worth" said Angel as she was ready to close the car door.

"Trust me, Angel," said Chuck. "I got my money's worth. I had a really good time."

- - - -

When Chuck walked into the apartment, Sarah was waiting for him with tears in her eyes.

"Are you ok," Chuck asked as he put his arms around her and held her tightly. "I was worried about you. I hope that wasn't hard on you."

"It was way worse that I had hoped," Sarah said with a sigh. "Watching that girl fall for you is hard. You know the worst part? You've never taken me to Disneyland. That's something I would have loved for you to do with me. That's a memory that she got first."

"I'm sorry," said Chuck. "I didn't think of that. Please forgive me. I never want to make you feel bad. You're the most loved woman in the world."

"I know," said Sarah softly. "I've been so stupid. I always got so mad at you for being jealous of me on missions. Now I get it."

"I'll tell you what," said Chuck with a smile. "On our way back home from Washington, let's stop at Disney World for a few days. I've never been there either and it'll be a first for both of us. We'll make some memories that will be just ours. Would you like that?"

"I would love that," Sarah said with a smile. "Right now, I just want you to hold me for a while."

"There's nothing I'd like better," Chuck said softly. "I know that you wanted me to concentrate earlier. But right now I would like to take a few minutes to make sure that I remind you that you're the most loved woman in the whole world. Would that be ok?"

"It's more than ok," said Sarah softly as her smile broadened. "It's mandatory. In a few minutes we'll talk about that virtual love slave promise that you made last night."

"Yes ma'am, whenever you're ready. Your wish is my command."

- - - -


	7. Fishing

_Warning: There is some adult content in this. Nothing major but please use discretion. As always, thanks to Natty for the beta and advice. I still don't own Chuck._

_Fishing_

- - - -

"Oh hell no," said Sarah firmly as she heard of Chuck's plans for the day with Angel. "There's no way."

"Why not?" Chuck asked, amused by Sarah's mood.

"Well, in the first place," Sarah said. "There's no way for me to tail you. I'm not letting you be alone with this cocaine addict without backup. It's not safe."

Casey and Carina were on the phone in conference mode listening in amusement to the exchange. Finally Casey spoke.

"It is actually a pretty controlled environment. I mean, where could they go?"

"No way," said Sarah firmly. "Not without backup. Do you remember where I'm kicking you next time? You're very close to buying a ticket for that ride."

"How about this idea," Carina said. "I'm free for the day. How about Casey and I go with them? It would give Chuck a chance to introduce us to her and we could disappear together when Chuck needs some private time to complete his mission."

"I don't know," Sarah said hesitantly. "What about my car? I don't want you messing up my car."

"I'll take Carina's car," Chuck said with a laugh. "God forbid, I would mess up the Porsche. I may never have sex again."

"Let me put you on hold," Chuck said to Carina and Casey. "I want to talk to Sarah for a second."

"Ok," said Chuck softly to Sarah as soon as he had hit the mute button. "Talk to me. What is the real issue here?"

"Ok," said Sarah sadly as she looked at the floor. "I'll be honest. I don't want you to be alone with her when I can't hear what's going on. I'll be sitting here all day assuming the worst."

"I know," Chuck said softly as he put his finger under Sarah's chin and forced her to look at him. "I do. And it's not going to do much good for me to tell you that you have nothing to worry about, is it? You already know that."

Sarah nodded in agreement as a smile began to appear.

"Why don't you go and spend the day with Ellie," Chuck said. "She has the whole day off and wanted you to come over, remember?"

Sarah nodded again.

"And don't worry," Chuck said. "Carina will have an eye on me all day. I'm pretty sure that if I did anything that you wouldn't approve of she'll let me know."

"That's true," said Sarah with a smile. "She would probably kick you harder than I would. After all, she doesn't have anything to lose by putting you out of commission for a night."

"But please," said Chuck as he kissed Sarah deeply. "Please come home a little sober. You and Ellie are getting a rep. Why don't you go shopping, go to the mall, or something else girly?"

"Ok" Sarah whispered as she kissed Chuck again.

As Chuck kissed Sarah he began to snake his hand up her shirt.

"Babe," Sarah whispered in Chuck's ear just before he had reached his target. "I'm all for this. Really. But remember that Casey and Carina are on hold? Maybe you should put yourself on hold for a second while we get rid of them."

"Ok," said Chuck with a sigh. "But hurry. I want to remind you how the most loved woman in the world is treated."

Sarah unmuted the phone and said "Meet him there at noon." She ended the call without waiting for a response. After tossing the phone on the table she turned to Chuck with a grin.

"Where were we?"

- - - -

Angel's eyes lit up as she recognized Chuck when he drove up. She was dressed much like yesterday with a tank top and shorts. She had a bag that obviously contained her suit and towel. As she got in the car she turned to Chuck.

"Where's your car?"

"Don't worry," Chuck said with a smile seeing the concern on Angel's face. "Nothing's wrong with the Porsche. We'll take it again tomorrow. I just thought that this car would be better suited for what we're doing today."

"And what might that be?" Angel asked with a sly smile.

"Come on," said Chuck with a huge grin. "You should know by now that I love surprises."

"Deep sea fishing," said Angel incredulously as they stood on the dock. "Are you crazy? Deep sea fishing? I've never been fishing in my life. I wouldn't know what to do."

"Don't worry," said Chuck with a grin. "There is a mate that does all of the work. He bates your hook and takes the fish off. All you have to do is reel them in."

"Deep sea fishing," Angel muttered more to herself than Chuck. "And I thought that Disneyland was weird."

"Come on, Angel," said Chuck in a persuasive tone. "You had a good time yesterday, didn't you? You'll have a good time today. I promise. How about a little trust here? I know how much you love seafood. If we catch anything, I'll cook you a fresh seafood dinner tonight. Would you like that?"

"Ok," said Angel hesitantly. "I trust you. I'll try anything once, I guess. I did have fun yesterday."

Just then Casey and Carina walked up. Chuck did the introductions.

"Angel, these are my friends Casey and Carina. They are going fishing with us."

"Hi, Angel," said Carina with a smile. "It's nice to meet you."

Angel's eyes lit up as she looked at Casey.

"Hey," she said. "I recognize you from the club. You came with Charles."

"Club?" asked Carina with a growl as she glared at Casey.

"Oh my goodness," said Angel with alarm. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to get you in trouble."

"Don't worry," said Chuck. "She's just teasing you. She's like that."

Angel looked from face to face. Suddenly they all broke out laughing.

Chuck and Casey carried their cooler on the boat. Waiting for them was the captain, Bob and the mate, Jim.

"Welcome aboard," said captain Bob as he started the engines. "Are you ready for some fun?"

The boat was a standard thirty five foot fishing model. It had a small cabin and a lower deck which had a couple of cots and a head. The back of the boat was open and had a bench seat on either side. Above the cabin was the captain's cockpit where he steered the boat. Once they were under way, Casey turned to the mate.

"What are we fishing for?" Casey asked.

"Well," said the mate. "There's an old saying. You fish for whatever will bite your hook. There's really no telling what we might catch. Hopefully, we hook on to a Yellow Fin Tuna or three. That's the main game fish around these parts."

"How big are they?" Chuck asked.

"Anywhere from sixty to one hundred fifty pounds," said the mate. "Trust me; once you're wrestled one of those babies for an hour or so, you're glad that it's in the boat. Sit back and enjoy the ride. We're going to be traveling for about an hour to get to enough deep water."

"How far out are we going?" said Angel in alarm.

"About twenty miles," replied the mate as he saw the alarm on her face. "Don't worry. It's a calm day and this boat is very seaworthy. We're perfectly safe."

Chuck and Angel sat on the bench. Casey and Carina sat on the opposite side and as far away as possible to give them some privacy.

"This is my favorite part," Chuck said to Angel. "Looking at the city from out here makes it entirely different."

"It is beautiful" Angel was forced to admit.

As the captain cleared the harbor area he accelerated the boat to full speed. Even though it was a nice sunny day, the breeze coming across the water was cool. Chuck noticed that Angel was shivering.

"Are you cold," Chuck asked. "We can go into the cabin."

"No," said Angel. "It's ok. I love this view to much."

"Come here," said Chuck as he put his arm around Angel. She gratefully snuggled into Chuck, taking comfort from the heat of his body.

Carina, noticing the interaction, turned to Casey.

"It is a little chilly" Carina said hopefully.

"Don't worry sweetie," Casey said with a smile as he triumphantly reached into his bag. "I'll take care of you. I brought you a sweatshirt."

"Thanks a lot," Carina said sarcastically to herself as she pulled on the sweatshirt. "This really sucks. Sarah is the luckiest person I know."

- - - -

Sarah knocked on Ellie's door as she opened it slowly.

"Hello?" she called cautiously as she entered the room.

"Sarah," Ellie said excitedly as she rushed up to hug Sarah. "I'm so glad that you came over. I've missed you."

"And I've missed you," said Sarah as she squeezed Ellie tightly. "I'm so glad that you called."

"How long do I have you for," asked Ellie? "What do you want to do?"

"Chuck went deep sea fishing with Casey," Sarah said with a laugh. "I don't think he'll be home until about ten. I'm up for anything."

"Great," said Ellie as she went into the kitchen and returned with a bottle of wine and two glasses. "How about if we have a glass of wine and talk for a while. Then we'll go out to dinner and maybe have a drink or two at a club. Does that sound ok?"

"That sounds great," Sarah said with a laugh as she took a sip of her wine. "I'm all yours tonight. I'll just follow your lead."

- - - -

Before they actually began fishing, Angel and Carina changed into their bikinis. The mate showed them how to use the fishing equipment but it was very easy. Naturally, as luck would have it, Angel was the first to catch a fish. Even though it was a relatively small sea bass, Angel couldn't have been more excited if she had caught a whale. She was jumping up and down like a school girl. Chuck and the gang could hardly control themselves from laughing so hard. As soon as the mate had taken the fish off the hook, Angel threw her arms around Chuck's neck.

"Thank you," she said excitedly. "I've never had a better time in my life."

"You're welcome," Chuck said laughing as he rubbed Angel's back. "But you can't stop now. We need enough to feed the four of us tonight. That one fish isn't going to cut it."

Actually the fishing was going quite slowly. They had all caught a few smaller sea bass. Casey hooked a huge tuna but it got away. Angel excused herself several times during the day for a bathroom / coke break. Just as they were about ready to head in for the day, Angel let out a yell.

"Holly cow," she exclaimed excitedly. "I have something big."

"It's a tuna," said the mate. "It looks like a nice one. Keep fighting it. Don't let it get away."

After a while, Angel started to tire. She asked Chuck to take over for her.

"Sorry," said the mate. "It's the code of the sea. It's not fair to the fish for anyone to help you. He's fighting for his life and if he wins, he gets to live. That's how it works."

"Come on, Angel," shouted Chuck. "Fight. Don't let that fish beat you. Show him what you've got."

With the others shouting encouragement Angel battled the fish. After about twenty minutes she finally had it close enough for the mate to drag it onto the boat. Angel would have collapsed in exhaustion had not Chuck been holding her.

"You did it," Chuck said loudly while embracing Angel. "I'm so proud of you. You didn't give up. You never gave up. Now you know that you can do anything if you just don't give up."

"How big is it?" Angel asked.

"I'd say about seventy five pounds," said the mate. "It's about an average adult Yellow Fin Tuna."

On the ride back Angel slid over to Chuck and snuggled against him. He put his arm around her in surprise and asked.

"Are you cold?"

"Not really." answered Angel with a smile without looking up.

While the mate was cleaning the day's catch, Casey grumbled about the one that got away.

"Mine was a lot bigger," he said with a growl.

"But Angel landed hers" Chuck replied with a smile as he put his arm around Angel.

- - - -

Sarah and Ellie decided, well Ellie decided and Sarah agreed to have a quite drink in the lounge of a hotel. Dinner had gone exceptionally well. Ellie kept Sarah in stitches all night with her stories of the ER and especially of Chuck growing up. Sarah felt bad that she couldn't share any of the stories from her past but Ellie didn't seem to mind. With the wine at Ellie's and the additional drinks at dinner, both ladies were feeling a little tipsy. As they were sitting in a booth, sipping their drinks the waitress brought them another round.

"Excuse me," said Sarah. "But we didn't order these."

"Compliments of those gentlemen" replied the waitress as she indicated two men sitting at a table across the bar. On clue the men approached.

"Thank you for the drink," Ellie said nicely. "But my sister and I were just enjoying a little quite chat. We're not looking to meet anyone."

"Oh come on" one of the men said as he slid into the booth next to Ellie. He had obviously been drinking.

"You two are too smoking hot to be alone" said the other man as he sat next to Sarah and put his arm around her. "We just want to talk."

Sarah smiled at Ellie to let her know that she was ok. As she felt the man's hand on her leg, she turned to him and smiled sweetly.

"Hi," she said softly. "My name is Sarah. What's yours?"

"Bob" the man replied.

"Well, Bob," said Sarah. "Let me tell you want I'd like."

As she leaned in to whisper in his ear she grabbed his hand under the table.

"I'd like you to take your hands off me and leave us alone," Sarah whispered to the man as she bent his finger backwards to just before the breaking point. "Do we understand each other?"

"Yes" said the man with his eyes wide from the pain. As soon as Sarah released his hand, he got up from the table.

"Come on Andy," he said to his partner. "Let's leave these ladies alone. Sorry to have bothered you."

As the men retreated, Ellie turned to Sarah.

"What did you say to him?" Ellie asked.

"I told him that I would like to take him home," said Sarah with a grin. "I told him that we were both actually men. That we liked to dress up like women and see how many men we could pick up in single night. I told him he would have been the tenth one tonight."

"What," said Ellie with a laugh? "That's the funniest thing I've ever heard. Actually yours was kind of cute. Don't you think?"

"To tell you the truth," said Sarah seriously. "I didn't even notice."

"What," said Ellie with a smile? "Has Chuck hypnotized you or something? Come on Sarah, I know that you're married but you're not dead."

"I'm sorry," said Sarah as she looked Ellie in the eye and laughed. "I'm sure that you've had a lot of guys hit on you."

"Some." Ellie admitted.

"But you've had a man in your life to help shield you," said Sarah sadly. "You've had Chuck and you had a dad, for a while anyway. I've had these guys hitting on me since I was sixteen. I've never had a man in my life to help keep them away. I've had enough of guys like that to last a life time. I'm totally happy not looking at them ever again."

"I'm sorry," said Ellie softly. "I didn't know. I mean that's great that you're so devoted to my brother. I'm really happy for you."

"I'm happy for me too," said Sarah. "For the first time in my life, I have a family. Chuck is my life. Trust me; I wouldn't want it any other way."

- - - -

Chuck and Angel arrived at Casey's a few minutes before Casey and Carina. They had stopped at the market to pick up fixings for a salad and some white wine. As soon as they were in the house, Angel turned to Chuck.

"Thank you for today," she said as she hugged Chuck. "I've never had so much fun in my life. Deep sea fishing. Who'd have thought it?"

"You're so welcome," Chuck replied with a smile. "I had a lot of fun today to. Are you ready for tomorrow?"

"How about tomorrow, we go on that real date that you wanted." Angel said softly.

"Actually," Chuck said with a laugh. "I've already paid for tomorrow. But I'm free the day after. Are you sure that's what you want?"

"Yes," said Angel in a whisper as she kissed Chuck. "I am. So then, I can do that without you wondering if I mean it. Charles, you're not like any other man I've ever met."

"I get that a lot," Chuck said with a laugh. "And if we're going to be friends for real, you need to start calling me Chuck."

The fresh tuna was perhaps the best meal that Chuck had ever had. Casey had broiled it to perfection. Started off with a green salad and topped off with several glasses of white wine. The two couples shared a little conversation but mostly they were too tired to do anything except eat. The day would have perfect if only he could have shared it with the love of his life.

Chuck and Angel were silent on the drive home with Angel sitting next to him with her head on his shoulder. Chuck was beginning to wonder if she was awake. Then, as they pulled up to Angel's building, she broke the silence.

"Would you like to come up?"

"Angel," said Chuck softly. "You know how I feel about paying for sex."

"How about if I mean it?" Angel questioned.

"In two days," said Chuck. "We'll see then ok?"

"Ok," said Angel sadly. "I'm really sorry that I put us in this situation."

"Don't be sorry," said Chuck with a smile. "I knew what I was getting into. You've been great. It looks like my plan is working perfectly."

"Yes," Angel agreed with a smile as she closed the car door. "It does. Maybe in two days, I'll be paying you. I'll see you tomorrow, Chuck."

When Chuck entered the apartment, Sarah was standing there waiting for him. Tears were running down her cheeks. As her wordlessly embraced her, he could feel his own tears on his cheeks. After a minute, Chuck broke the silence.

"I hate this job." he said softly.

"I know that you do," she said. "So do I."

"Are you hungry," Chuck asked. "I brought you some fresh tuna."

- - - -


	8. A Friend in Deed

_Warning: There is some adult content in this. Nothing major but please use discretion. As always, thanks to Natty for her beta and advice. I still don't own Chuck. For those of you who visited us at the TWoP creative thread, most of us are now talking on the Chuck Forum here at . We'd love for you to join us as we support each other while waiting for the show to (finally) come back._

_A Friend in Deed_

- - - -

"I have to tell her." Chuck said softly as he watched Sarah eat her leftover tuna.

Sarah looked up as if she was surprised that Chuck would speak. After all, they had sat in silence for some time. Suddenly he saw her eyes filled with tears.

"You're falling for her," Sarah whispered. "Aren't you?"

"What?" Chuck said as he didn't understand Sarah's question.

"Angel," said Sarah sadly. "You're falling in love with her, aren't you? I talked to Carina. She told me what happened today."

"I'm so sorry." Chuck said softly as he looked directly into Sarah's eyes.

Suddenly the tears began to stream down Sarah's face.

"Oh my God." she cried as her face was contorted in anguish.

Sarah got up from her seat and sent the chair flying across the room. Chuck's hand on her wrist stopped her from running to the bedroom.

"Sarah, stop," Chuck said loudly. "You're misunderstanding me. "I'm so sorry that I must not be doing something right. How could you possibly even have that serious thought?"

"Seriously," Chuck said with a smile as he grabbed Sarah's other hand and faced her. "What is wrong with you? What part of forever, love of my life, or most loved woman in the world don't you understand?"

"I don't know," said Sarah as a smile appeared among the tears. "I guess you just bring out the little girl in me. It's just hard for me to know that you're with another woman all day. Then Carina tells me that she has totally fallen for you. Then you come home all worried about her. What am I supposed to think?"

"That's pretty easy," Chuck said with a grin. "You're not supposed to think anything. You're supposed to know. You're supposed to know that Chuck loves you more than he could ever say. You're supposed to know that he would never hurt you. You're supposed to know that he would never have any romantic feelings for another woman. And you're supposed to be reminding yourself of these things over and over and over. Is that too much to ask?"

"No," Sarah said with a full fledged grin. "Of course it's not. I do know all of those things. I just forget to remind myself sometimes. I'm sorry that I over reacted."

"Now," said Chuck sarcastically. "If I could please finish my thought about my mission without you thinking that I'm falling madly in love with someone else?"

"Of course."

"I don't feel right about what I'm doing to Angel", Chuck said. "I have to let her know that I can be her friend but nothing more. I want to help her. I want her to help us. But I don't know how to do that. I don't want to hurt her."

"Well," said Sarah thoughtfully. "Speaking strictly as an agent, you shouldn't tell her anything. You're doing great. According to Carina, she's totally falling for you. You're close to the point where you could get her to do anything that you want."

"It's worse than that," Chuck said sadly. "Before Casey and Carina got home she told me that she wanted to go on a real date. Then she kissed me and said that she wanted me to know that she really meant it. Sarah, I don't want her to fall in love. That's going to really hurt her. It will blow any trust that I've built up."

"She kissed you?"

"I have to tell her. It's just not right."

"She kissed you?" This time the question was more insistent.

"Yes, Sarah. She kissed me, all right? This is not fair to her."

"If you blow your cover now, who knows what will happen."

"Sarah, I have to tell her."

"Chuck," Sarah said with a smile. "There's an old saying. Hell hath no fury. I think maybe you should have that tattooed on your wrist. You're getting close to tasting it from two sides."

"Very funny," said Chuck. "Please help me here. I'm in trouble."

"Let me tell you a story. Maybe it will help. Remember when you said that I could tell you anything and that it wouldn't change us?" Sarah asked softly while looking at the floor.

"Of course."

"Well," said Sarah. "I'm about to test you on that. What exactly did Bryce tell you about Boston?"

"Just that you lived with a mark for a couple of months," Chuck said softly. "He was just rubbing it in that you were sleeping with him."

"It's a lot worse than that," Sarah said so softly that Chuck had to strain to hear her. "There are some classified details that I'm leaving out but he worked as a research scientist in our nuclear program. We knew that sensitive information was getting to the Chinese somehow and all signs pointed to him. So I was assigned to get close to him. After a few weeks, he asked me to move in with him. I didn't want to but the brass thought it would let me get closer. And yes, before you ask, I slept with him."

Chuck nodded to let Sarah know that he understood.

"After a couple more weeks, he proposed," Sarah continued her voice a little stronger. "I knew that I had to accept or he would break up with me and blow my cover. So I told him that I loved him. Eventually, after we were engaged, I found out how he was getting the secrets to the Chinese. I found out by telling him that he could tell me anything. That I loved him and I would understand. So he confessed to me and told me who his contact was and how he communicated. Naturally, he was arrested. I'll never forget the look on his face when he found out the truth. It was a look of total betrayal. He couldn't take it and he hung himself in his cell that night. They found his body in the morning."

"That was quite a sacrifice that they asked of you," Chuck said slowly. "Wasn't it?"

Sarah just nodded sadly.

"So," said Chuck softly. "Was that my test? If so, I like these kinds of tests. They're pretty easy. Did you really fear telling me that story would change the way I feel about you?"

"I did once," Sarah said with the beginnings of a smile. "But not any more."

"Well that's progress," Chuck said with a smile. "Can I ask a couple of questions without you thinking that I'm jealous?"

Sarah quickly nodded.

"Did you have feelings for him?"

"No way," said Sarah quickly and firmly. "He was a traitor. He sold out his country for money. To me, it doesn't get any worse than that. He got off easy in my book."

"But you must feel guilty, right? Why else would this bother you so much?"

"Yes, I feel very guilty. I've never told this entire story to anyone, not even the CIA shrinks."

"Why do you feel guilty? It can't be because you felt bad for him. You hated him. Talk to me about it."

"No," said Sarah softly. "I didn't feel badly for him. I felt badly for me. I was able to convince this man so easily that I was the love of his life. I was able to lie in this man's bed and sleep with him and make him think that I was having the time of my life. It was too easy. I always wondered if I would ever have that feeling for real and how would I know the difference. I guess that's why I'm so clingy with you. I'm so scared that you'll think that I'm just acting. I'm trying in every way that I can think of to make sure that you know that we're real. You need to know that I can't bear even the thought of losing you. That's why I never told you this story before. I didn't want to put the thought in your head."

"I hope you know now that you don't have to worry about that."

"I know," Sarah said with a smile. "My head knows anyway. Sometimes my fear overcomes my head and I act a little stupid. I'm sorry. You've been wonderfully patient. Really babe, you've been great. I really appreciate it. I hope that you can continue to be patient with me."

"Babe, trust me, comforting you is my favorite thing in the whole world," Chuck said as he embraced her. "Please feel free to be as clingy as you want."

"Thanks." said Sarah in a whisper as her eyes sparkled

"So, how did you get him to fall in love with you inside of a month," Chuck asked with a smile. "That's pretty impressive, even for you."

"Because," replied Sarah sadly. "I wasn't Sarah. I was a dream girl. I hung on his every word. He never once saw me without a smile on my face. Every perverted idea he would come up with in bed, I'd act like it was my biggest fantasy. It wasn't me."

"But you do all of those things for me, right?"

Chuck could instantly tell by the tears filling Sarah's eyes that he had said the wrong thing.

"I'm so sorry," he said softly. "That was such a stupid thing to say. Those are the very thoughts that you're afraid of, aren't they? I didn't mean it like that. Please believe me."

"It's ok," said Sarah sadly. "I understand what you meant. And trust me, if you asked to do some of the things that he made me do, you'd have something less than your dream girl."

"Yea," said Chuck as his eyes lit up. "Like what?"

"Please don't make me go there." Sarah said with a sad smile.

"Well it would be nice to know in advance what not to ask for," Chuck said with a smile. "But ok, I understand. Knowing what you know now, would you do it over again?"

"If you would have asked me that question two months ago, I would have said yes without even thinking about it," Sarah said thoughtfully. "Now, I'm not so sure."

"Why?"

"Because I hate what it does to you," Sarah said sadly. "If you could think for even one second that I might be fooling you like I was fooling him, then it wasn't worth it."

"That's what Bryce told me," Chuck said softly. "He said that I would never be able to know for sure. He said that you were too good at fooling people."

"What did you say to him?"

"I laughed at him," said Chuck with a twinkle in his eye. "I told him that I hoped he would find someone someday who he could trust like I trust you."

"Good answer." Sarah said with a laugh.

"No problem," said Chuck with a smile. "Now to the important question, who is better in bed, Bryce, this guy from Boston, or me?"

"I think that you already know the answer to that," Sarah said with a giggle. "You just want to hear me say it."

"Ok. You're on to me."

"That's ok," Sarah said struggling to keep from laughing. "You deserve to hear it. Nobody is even in your league. Does that make you feel better?"

"Actually, yes," Chuck said with a huge grin as he reached in to kiss Sarah. "I think that you should tell me that once a day, just to keep my spirits up."

"I'm thinking that your spirits are just fine," said Sarah with a laugh. "If your spirits were up any more, we'd never get out of bed. We have to eat sometime."

"Fair enough," said Chuck. "Can we wait and talk about Angel in the morning? My spirits are really up right now, if you know what I mean."

"Yes, Chuck, I know," said Sarah with a grin. "I can see. I guess I'm ready for you to be my love slave."

"Wait a minute," said Chuck matching Sarah's grin. "I'm pretty sure that it's your turn to be my love slave tonight."

"How do you figure," asked Sarah incredulously. "You made me jealous over Angel. That was our deal."

"Yes," agreed Chuck. "But you made me jealous over Boston guy."

"But she kissed you."

"Ok," said Chuck with mock seriousness. "But I just found out that you were engaged to Boston guy. You slept with him for over a month. I can't tell you how jealous that makes me. You were so afraid to tell me about it, why? I really think that I have a stronger argument here."

"Ok, fine," said Sarah in mock indignation. "You win. But I need to get something off my chest first."

"I know," said Chuck with a huge grin. "You need to get something off of all of you. You're wearing far too many clothes for what I have in mind. But if you want to start with your chest, who am I to complain?"

"No silly," said Sarah with a giggle as she slapped Chuck playfully. "I meant I want to say something."

"Go ahead."

"I'm going to fucking kill Bryce Larkin."

- - - -

Chuck lay flat on his back in bed wide awake staring at the ceiling. The love of his life's head rested on his chest sleeping peacefully. Life was good. At least life should have been good. Chuck couldn't help but let out a frustrated sigh. Immediately Sarah's eyes popped open. As her eyes focused and met Chuck's a smile crept across her face.

"Good morning." she whispered.

Kicking himself for having wakened her, Chuck smiled back.

"Go back to sleep." he whispered.

"What's wrong," Sarah asked with a yawn. "Why are you awake so early?"

"Nothing is wrong," Chuck tried to lie. "Go back to sleep."

"Come on babe," Sarah said as she sat up. "Do you think that I don't know you well enough to tell when something is wrong? You're worried about Angel aren't you?"

"Yes," Chuck said slowly. "But please don't be jealous. I'm not meaning that at all."

"I know," said Sarah with a smile. "I promise that we can discuss this without me getting jealous, ok? You're not falling for her. You're just a really, really nice guy who doesn't want to hurt her."

"Thank you," Chuck said with a sigh. "I know that you told me the Boston story last night to make a point. You wanted me to know what you were willing to do for a mission. I get it. You're willing to make huge sacrifices."

"That was only one reason," Sarah said with a smile. "I also wanted to share it with you so you could help me deal with it. I've never had anybody in my life that I could trust with this kind of stuff."

"Thanks for trusting me," Chuck said. "I know that wasn't easy for you."

"That's the thing," said Sarah with a smile. "It was easy. Thank you for making it easy. I don't know how I lived without you. I don't know how to tell you how much you mean to me."

"I think I have an idea." Chuck said with a grin as he pulled Sarah back onto his chest.

"Down boy," said Sarah with a laugh as she got out of bed and pulled on Chuck's t-shirt. "Let's talk shop first. There will be plenty of time left for that after."

"Wow," said Chuck in mock horror. "The honeymoon must be over. That's the first time you've ever turned me down."

"I'm not turning you down babe," Sarah said with a smile. "Just wait until we've talked. Then see what happens. I'll turn you every way but down."

"Now I'm torn," said Chuck with a short laugh. "That half excites me and half scares the hell out of me."

"Good," said Sarah smugly. "That's exactly how you're supposed to feel. Now tell me about Angel."

"Ok," said Chuck. "The way I see it, there are several major differences between my current situation and you in Boston. First off, I'm married. I would hope that you wouldn't take that assignment today."

"That's true."

"Also," Chuck continued. "I'm not a trained agent. I don't think you can expect the same level of emotional detachment from me."

"Right again."

"Finally," Chuck said. "Angel is not a traitor. She hasn't done anything to deserve being used like this. She's a good person who made some bad judgments. I want to help her, not crush her."

"Ok Chuck," said Sarah firmly. "Everything you just said is true. You're right; Angel doesn't deserve to be hurt. But in our business, we can't always do the right thing for everybody. If you blow your cover with Angel, some very bad terrorists might get away. Carina, who I think that you care for, will be in more danger. Could you live with yourself if something happened to Carina and you could have stopped it?"

"No," said Chuck sadly. "Of course not."

"And if we don't stop those terrorists," Sarah continued. "Some little kids are going to get blown up on a school bus somewhere. Do you want to live with that?"

Chuck simply stared at Sarah angrily.

"I'm sorry babe," said Sarah softly. "I don't mean to lay this guilt trip on you, but I just want to let you know that the stakes are high. What we're doing is important. If we don't do our job, really bad things happen. That's why we're asked to do some pretty awful things. I'm willing to make some serious sacrifices for the greater good. I know that you are too."

"Let me ask you something," Chuck asked softly. "There was a point in Boston when the mark asked you to move in with him. At that point you couldn't avoid sleeping with him or you would have blown your cover, right?"

Sarah nodded.

"That point is coming for me tomorrow," Chuck said. "Are you willing for me to sleep with Angel to save my cover? Because I know that I wouldn't be willing to have you sleep with someone."

"Of course I wouldn't like that," Sarah said. "It would mess me up for a while. I don't even like thinking about it. But I might be able to get over it as long as I knew that you were only doing it for the cover."

"You might be able to get over it," Chuck asked incredulously. "You might? That's not even close to being good enough. I can't mess you up. Not for a while, not for a second. That's where I draw the line. Terrorists are bad. I want to stop them if I can. I sure don't want Carina to get hurt. But nothing, nothing can make me intentionally hurt you. If I have to make that decision, I'm telling her."

"Are you sure?"

"Come on babe," said Chuck firmly. "There's no question. You're the most important thing in the world to me. I could never do something knowing that it would hurt you."

"Thanks," said Sarah with a grin. "But not even to save Carina?"

"Maybe if someone was holding a gun to Carina's head," said Chuck. "That would be different. I would be ok with you doing that to directly save your, mine, or Carina's life."

"What about Casey?"

"I'm thinking about it."

"Chuck," Sarah exclaimed. "He's our partner too. He saved our lives in Vegas."

"I'm kidding," said Chuck with a grin. "I guess you could save Casey's life too."

"Good," said Sarah with a laugh. "That's a choice I hope to never have to make."

"You and me both."

"How about this," Sarah said softly. "You keep up your cover with Angel as long as you can. I imagine you'll have to put up with some kissing and handholding but put off any sex as long as possible. When it comes to the point where you have no choice, tell her. Try and make her think that you still want to be her friend. Does that sound ok?"

"Yes," said Chuck with relief. "I still do want to be her friend. Thank you."

"No Chuck," said Sarah softly. "Thank you."

"I want to tell you something," Chuck said. "I hope that it doesn't come out wrong. Because if it hurts your feelings, I'll feel terrible. I know that we're real. I absolutely do. But even if you were fooling me, it would be worth it. I wouldn't give up the past two weeks for anything. I feel like I'm floating on a cloud. I hope that you understand what I'm trying to say."

"I do," said Sarah with tears forming in her eyes. It's the most romantic thing you've ever said to me."

"Thank God." Chuck whispered to himself.

"Are you ready to be turned every way but down now?" Sarah asked with a wry smile.

"Absolutely."


	9. Chick Magnet

_Warning: There is some adult content in this. Nothing major but please use discretion. Since Natty is back to school, this is going sans a beta. Nobody to blame for any mistakes but myself (sob). I still don't own Chuck._

_Chick Magnet_

- - - -

Chuck and Sarah had fallen back asleep. After all, Chuck didn't get much sleep last night and they had already had a very strenuous early morning. As Sarah struggled to become fully awake, she glanced at the clock.

"Crap," she exclaimed as she suddenly sat upright in bed. "Get up, Chuck. We're going to be late."

"Late for what?" Chuck asked without opening his eyes.

"I forgot," said Sarah breathlessly. "I made an appointment. "We're getting married."

"What," Chuck asked, now instantly wide awake. "We're already married."

"Of course," said Sarah with a smile. "But not legally, remember? In Vegas, we didn't have our real IDs. I made an appointment with a Justice of the Peace to marry us legally. We have to be there in forty five minutes."

"What are we going to wear," Chuck asked. "I mean it's not every day one gets married."

"No," Sarah said with a smile. "Apparently it's an every other week thing for us."

"You know what I mean." Chuck said as he returned Sarah's smile.

"Don't worry babe," Sarah said. "I my mind we got married in Las Vegas twelve days ago. Today is no big deal. It's just a formality."

"Then why are we doing this?" Chuck asked.

"I need to get your name on all of our accounts," Sarah said. "We need to be legally married in case something happens to either one of us. Besides how would we tell our kids that we're not really married?"

"Sounds pretty romantic." Chuck said sarcastically.

"I guess anything can be romantic if you want it to be," Sarah said with a laugh. "It's a state of mind."

"Well, in that case," Chuck said softly. "There's something important that I promised to do that I've never done."

Chuck went over to Sarah and grabbed her hand. Sarah's eyes got big as he dropped to one knee.

"Sarah," Chuck said softly. "My life was totally without meaning until you came into it that day at the Buy More. I love you more than I could ever say. I thought that I was in love with you yesterday. But I find that I love you more today than I did yesterday. I'm sure now that I'm going to love you more tomorrow than I do today. Each day I tell myself that I couldn't possibly love you any more. And every tomorrow proves me wrong. I want to spend the rest of my life with you seeing how much my love can grow. Will you please marry me?"

"See," said Sarah though her tears as she pulled Chuck to his feet and embraced him. "You can make anything romantic if you try. It's your particular genius."

"Well?" Chuck asked.

"Well?" Sarah repeated in confusion.

"Come on Sarah," Chuck said softly. "We've already been over this. When someone proposes to you you're supposed to answer them."

"Oh yea," Sarah said with a smile as she kissed Chuck softly.

"Sorry cowboy, I'm already married."

"Wait a minute," said Chuck with a laugh. "Does this mean that tonight is our wedding night?"

Sarah couldn't help but laugh.

"That, I can do."

- - - -

Angel's eyes lit up as she saw the Porsche approach. She was waiting on the sidewalk as usual. As soon as the car pulled up to her she jumped in.

"Hi ,Chuck," Angel said as she leaned over to kiss his cheek. "I'm so happy to see you."

"I'm happy to see you too," said Chuck with a smile. "Are you all rested up from fishing? You had quite a workout. That was the biggest fish I've ever seen."

"My arms are still sore," Angel admitted with a grin. "But that was the most fun I've ever had in my life."

"I forgot to tell you," Chuck said with a laugh. "I was too tired last night. But your bikini was really moving around. Casey and the mate about fell overboard a few times trying to get a better look."

"You sound jealous," Angel said softly. "Were you trying to get a better look too?"

"I've already seen the view," Chuck said with laugh. "Remember all those lap dances?"

"Don't you want to see it again?" Angel asked shyly with a sly smile.

"What are you trying to do to me here," Chuck said in mock anger. "Can't you see that I'm driving? Do you want us to crash?"

"What are we going to do today," Angel asked with a grin. "Don't tell me, let me guess. Skydiving, right? No wait, square dancing. Oh, I got it, rock climbing. I can never hope to guess what you have planned."

"Those are all good ideas," Chuck said. "Which one would you prefer?"

"You're kidding," said Angel with a questioning look. "Right?"

"Yes," said Chuck with a laugh. "I'm kidding. I thought that we would just take the car up into the mountains and drive around. I brought a picnic lunch and maybe we can go for a little walk someplace. Does that sound ok?"

"I love this car," Angel said excitedly. "You know how much I love this car. That sounds great."

"How about this?" Chuck said as he pulled the car over to the side of the road. They sat there for a moment with Chuck grinning at Angel. Finally he spoke.

"Would you like to drive?"

- - - -

Sarah was talking to Carina on her cell phone while tailing Chuck and Angel. Or rather, trying to tail them. Carina's car was no match for the Porsche.

"Guess what Chuck and I did today." Sarah said.

"I don't have to guess what," Carina said with a laugh. "The better question is how many times."

"Very funny," said Sarah. "Ok, two times so far today. But that's not what I meant. Chuck and I got married today."

"Really," said Carina in surprise. "Why? Didn't you always consider yourselves to be married?"

"Sure," said Sarah calmly. "We just did it to make it legal. You know, with my trust fund and everything. If something happens to me I want to make sure that Chuck is protected. Besides, we wanted to be able to tell our kids that we were really married."

"Kids," said Carina in shock. "Since when are you guys talking about kids?"

"We've always wanted kids," said Sarah. "Don't you want kids someday?"

"Oh hell no," said Carina. "How can you do your job and have a family? I don't see how that works."

"It doesn't," said Sarah. "I'd have to quit."

Carina was silent for so long that Sarah was beginning to think that the call had dropped. Finally she spoke.

"You're thinking about quitting? The great Sarah Walker? Quitting? How could you possibly quit? This is your life.

"Not any more," Sarah replied with a laugh. "Now my life is tall and has brown curly hair. Of course, he is currently trying to seduce another woman and is letting her drive my car while he is planning his second wedding night."

"Chuck is letting Angel, the coke addict, drive your Porsche?" Carina asked incredulously. "Does he have a death wish?"

"It sure looks like it," said Sarah. "Speaking of death wishes how is your assignment with this Scott Wilson dude going?"

"I'm not sure," said Carina slowly. "He is definitely more interested. At first, it was obvious that I was there just so he could be seen as a couple. Lately he has been a lot more touchy feely. I'm thinking that today, he could make the move. I sure hope it's nothing beyond second base."

"What are you going to do?" Sarah asked.

"What do you think?" Carina replied.

"Are you sure," Sarah asked. "You know that Casey is listening to every groan."

"Don't worry about Casey," Carina said softly. "He gets it."

"I know that he gets it," said Sarah. "But still, please be careful. I'm thinking that this might bother him more than he's saying."

- - - -

Angel was having a blast driving the Porsche. The curvy mountainous roads where a perfect fit for the high performance car. They had the windows down and the radio blasting. Their hair was blowing in the breeze as they zipped through the mountain side. Finally, unable to be heard, Chuck motioned for Angel to pull off.

"That was fun," Chuck said as he got out of the car. "This looks like a good place to have our picnic. Is that ok with you?"

"That was a blast," said Angel excitedly as she threw her arms around Chuck. "Right now anything you say would sound good to me. Thank you so much for letting me drive your car. I can't tell you how excited I am."

"I can tell," Chuck said with a laugh as he rubbed Angel's back. "You're so welcome."

Chuck got out the basket, small cooler, and blanket that he had packed. They walked for a while until they were well out of sight of the road. It was a very desolate area so there was no fear of being bothered. Once they found a nice flat spot, Chuck spread out the blanket and they sat down.

"Where is the bathroom?" Angel asked as she looked around expectantly.

"You're joking right," said Chuck with a smile. The bathroom is right behind that rock over there. Go ahead. I won't peak."

"No," said Angel sadly. "That's ok."

After they had begun eating their sandwiches, Angel was noticeably nervous.

"Do you think that we'll come across a bathroom soon?" asked Angel in an almost frantic tone.

"Come on Angel," said Chuck soothingly. "You need to do some coke. Right? It's ok."

"How did you know?" asked Angel.

"Look at your hands," Chuck said as he grabbed Angel's hand. "They're shaking. Go ahead and do what you have to do."

As Angel spread out her equipment, she turned to Chuck. "Do you want a line?"

"No thanks."

After Angel was done she returned to lie down on her back and sighed.

"Thanks," she said. "I feel much better now."

"Angel," Chuck said softly as he lay on his back next to Angel. "Can I talk to you?"

"You're going to yell at me," Angel said sadly. "Aren't you?"

"Why would I yell at you," Chuck asked as he rolled onto his side to be able to look at her. "Angel, I'm not your dad. I have no right to tell you how to live your life. If you don't like what I'm going to say, it's your perfect right to tell me to mind my own business. Ok?"

Angel nodded.

"I hope that you can think of me as more than a john," Chuck continued. "I hope that you can consider me a friend."

"You've been amazing," Angel said softly. "I've never met a man like you before. You're the only man I've met that treated me like a person and not as a sex object."

"Then let me help you," Chuck said with a smile. "I've come to know you over the past couple of weeks. I think that you're an amazing person. I like you a lot. And it breaks my heart to think that you're not going to be around very much longer. It doesn't have to be this way. Please let me help you."

"I don't think I can be helped," Angel said with a soft sob. "I've tried to quit. I just can't."

"No one can quit on their own," Chuck said softly. "That's why they have rehab clinics. Even that doesn't always work. That's why you have to keep trying and keep trying until you get there. I saw you fight that fish. I saw how determined you can be. You're a fighter. I'll help but it has to be you. You have to want to fight this. And you have to want to fight it again and again until you win."

"I don't want to be a slave any more," Angel said as she sobbed. "I want to try. Will you please help me?"

"Of course," said Chuck as he held Angel and rubbed her back while she cried on his shoulder.

After a few minutes Angel was able to control her tears although she continued in their embrace.

"Do you think I'm pretty?" Angel asked softly with her head still on Chuck's shoulder.

"Of course, I think you're pretty." Chuck said. "Why would you ask that?"

"Then why haven't you shown any interest?" Angel asked.

"I told you." said Chuck. "I don't want to pay for sex."

"Come on, Chuck." said Angel pulling back to look at him. "It's more than that. I can tell. I've been on your lap some twenty times. I can tell when a man wants me. You only did once, and even then, you left right away."

"Can't I just enjoy being with you as your friend?" Chuck said with a smile. "Does everything have to be about sex?"

"You're turned off by the fact that I'm a hooker." Angel said sadly. "Aren't you?"

"Come on, Angel," said Chuck. "I've known that you were a hooker since the first day I met you. If that was a problem, I wouldn't have been back."

"Now I get it." said Angel with a sudden understanding. "You're gay, right? You're trying to turn straight. You're hoping that I can turn you on to women. What can I do to help?"

"I'm not gay." Chuck said with a laugh. "Can't we just be friends? Are you threatened by a man that's not trying to get you on your back every ten minutes?"

"Then you must be married." Angel said with a laugh.

When Chuck didn't answer Angel's eyes widened.

"Oh my God." she whispered. "That's it. You're married."

"Does that bother you?" Chuck asked. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you."

"Come on Chuck," said Angel with a grin. "Don't be silly. Ninety five percent of the men that come to me are married. They all want the same thing that their wives won't do. Is that what you want? I'm happy to help you out."

"No," said Chuck with a cough. "Angel, I'm not looking for sex from you. Why are you having such a hard time with that? I met you at the club and decided that I wanted to get to know you better. I wanted to see what was behind the sparkle in your eyes. But as a person, not as woman."

"Oh my God." Angel whispered. "That Sarah chick from the party. You're married to her?"

"Why would you say that?" Chuck asked with a smile.

"Come on, Chuck," said Angel. "I saw the way you two were looking at each other. I saw you going at it at the party. That's why she wouldn't screw Matlin. I can't believe I didn't figure it out sooner."

"Ok," said Chuck. "You're very perceptive. Yes, Sarah and I are married. Does that bother you?"

"I'm not sure." said Angel hesitantly. "Does she know about me?"

"Of course." Said Chuck with a smile. "She would love to get to know you. She's really the nicest person in the world."

"Oh my God." Angel said with a laugh. "You're trying to hook me up with her, aren't you? You want some three way fantasy."

"What?" asked Chuck in amazement?"

"Don't be embarrassed." Angel said with a big smile. "A lot of men have that fantasy. It's usually when they've been married about five years. How long have you been married?"

"Well," Chuck said as he looked at his watch. "A little less than that."

"Chuck," said Angel sadly. "I'm sorry. I would do almost anything that you asked me but I'm not into chicks."

"That's ok," said Chuck, struggling to get the words out between laughing. "I understand. Can we still be friends? I really do care for you."

On the ride back to the city, Angel was very quite. As Chuck pulled up to Angel's building she turned to him.

"I feel terrible." Angel said sadly.

"Why?" asked Chuck.

"Because," Angel said with tears in her eyes. "You're the best friend I've had in a long time, maybe ever. I feel terrible that the one thing that you've asked me to do for you, I said no."

"Don't worry about that." Chuck said trying to control his laughter. "Angel, I'm your friend. I'll do anything for you. You believe me don't you?"

"I do believe you." said Angel sadly. "That just makes me feel even more terrible. I'll tell you what. Maybe Sarah and I can talk tomorrow. I'll see how weird I feel."

"That's ok," said Chuck laughing loudly. "I'll bring Sarah tomorrow but please, Angel don't say anything about any fantasies. Ok?"

"I get it." said Angel with a smile as she got out of the car. "You haven't asked her yet. Don't worry. I don't want to get her pissed off at you."

As Chuck drove away, he sighed to himself.

"You'll never know."

- - - -

Chuck really didn't know what to expect when he walked into the apartment. It didn't help his anxiety much to see Sarah standing waiting for him with her arms folded across her chest.

"Hi babe." Chuck said cautiously.

"Hi babe?" Sarah questioned flatly. "That's all you have to say? Care to explain yourself?"

"I'm sorry." said Chuck haltingly. "I thought it was the perfect resolution. Angel is not expecting me to have sex with her and we can stay friends. I just went with it."

"You just went with it?" Sarah asked sarcastically. "Are you sure that you don't really hope that this sick fantasy happens? That's what it is, isn't it? And on our second wedding night? You really never want sex again, do you?"

"Please babe," Chuck said in a concerned tone. "Please don't be mad at me. You know that I don't feel that way. It just happened."

"Come on, babe," said Sarah with a smile. "I was just teasing you. That was quick thinking."

"Wow," said Chuck with a laugh. "I should really be pissed. Luckily, I'm so looking forward to tonight."

"Me too." said Sarah.

"But you will think about it?" Chuck asked with a wry smile. "Won't you?"

"Think about what?"

"You, me, and Angel. I'm pretty sure that I can talk her into it. You always said you would do anything for me."

"You're seriously asking me to do that?" Sarah said hotly.

"No, babe," said Chuck with a huge grin. "Now I'm just teasing you."

"Very funny," said Sarah with a grin of her own. "Could we please just go to bed now before this really goes badly?"

"Just the two of us?"

"Yes, Chuck, Just the two of us."

- - - -

_It should be noted that Chuck and Sarah always celebrated June 2__nd__, the day they were married in Vegas, as their anniversary. However Chuck always made it a tradition to make sure that he did something very special on June 14__th__ every year. Once the kids became teenagers they began to notice. Once Kate asked her mother what was so special about June 14__th__. Sarah's eyes lit up as she told her daughter that was the day your father proposed to me. "So," Kate reasoned. "You were engaged for almost a whole year before you got married?" "No," Sarah replied with a smile. "It was the same year."_

_Sarah kept Kate wondering about the apparent contradiction for several years until they were in the bride's dressing room minutes before her own wedding. When she finally heard the whole story, just moments before Chuck was to walk her down the aisle, she shook her head through the tears welling up in her eyes._

"_That's daddy," she said with a smile. "Two weeks late to his own wedding."_


	10. Sacrifice For the Greater Good

_Warning: There is some adult content in this. Nothing major but please use discretion. Thanks to Natty for the beta. I apologize for the delay in posting. I sort of got sidetracked writing Chuck vs Therapy, since it wouldn't leave my head. I still don't own Chuck._

_Most of the folks that used to frequent the Creative thread at the TWoP board now regularly converse at the Chuck forum at this site. If you're a Chuck fan (and why else would you be reading this?) please join us as we count down the days until the 2__nd__ season. We look forward to your contribution to the conversation._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It's the only reward that we get for putting ourselves out there. Even if you didn't like something, please tell us. Ok, enough with the lecture. So without further ado,_

_**Sacrifice For the Greater Good**_

- - - -

Casey was in the car listening to Carina with Scott Wilson. They were having dinner along with several other couples at the hotel. Casey couldn't really tell who the other men were. He was fairly sure that the women were all escorts. He sat impatiently until he could talk to Carina and to her take on the situation. Today was going just as had the previous couple of days. Scott Wilson would have dinner with a group of men. Each man would have an escort. Then after dinner they would have a couple of drinks, flirt for a while and then the girls were asked to leave. So far anyway, the girls were not asked to do anything except to be eye candy. Casey couldn't tell from the voices if any of the men were repeats or not. He needed to talk to Carina to find that out. From what he could tell, the conversation was all social.

"Ok, ladies," Scott Wilson said with a huge smile. "I think that we can let you go now."

As the escorts got up from the table and were in the process of leaving, Wilson walked up to Carina.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked her softly.

"Sure," said Carina with a sly smile as she walked with him out of earshot of the other guests. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm sorry if this sounds ridiculously forward." Wilson said with a smile. "But I don't have time to say it any other way."

Carina's smile told him to continue.

"I find you incredibly attractive." Wilson said. "I have a few minutes before my next meeting. Would you like to come up to my room for a drink?"

"A drink," said Carina with a coy smile. "Or something else?"

"Well," said Wilson suggestively. "We'll start with a drink and see how it goes."

"Lead the way." Carina said with a smile as she offered Wilson her hand.

- - - -

Chuck woke up with Sarah's head on his chest, her long hair tickling him. It was funny. No matter what position they were in went they went to sleep, they always woke up in the same position, Chuck on his back with Sarah on her side with her head on Chuck's chest. Chuck just stayed quiet and let her sleep, enjoying the peaceful look on her face. As he waited for Sarah to awaken he chuckled to himself. He could really get used to this every other week wedding night thing. Maybe he could talk to Sarah about making it a Bartowski family tradition. After a few minutes, Sarah's eyes slowly opened.

"Good morning." Chuck said softly. "How did you sleep?"

Sarah returned a smile that could have melted the polar ice caps faster than any global warming. "I'm great." she said in a soft voice. "What are our plans for today?"

"The same as we talked about last night." Chuck said with a grin as he headed for the shower. "We'll pick up Angel on the way."

"Do you mind if I just meet you there?" Sarah asked as Chuck was drying his hair. "I really want to stop by and see how Casey and Carina are doing on their mission."

"I thought that you didn't want me to be alone with Angel without backup?" Chuck questioned softly.

"I think you should be ok." Sarah said with a smile. "I'm more comfortable with Angel now. I think I can trust her. You don't mind, do you?"

"No problem." said Chuck as he started to put on his clothes. "I'm sure Angel will like that better anyway. She loves riding in the Porsche."

"Who said that you were talking the Porsche?" Sarah asked with grumble. "I hate Carina's car. It makes me feel like a soccer mom."

"Wait a minute." Chuck said with a laugh. "I thought you wanted to be a soccer mom?"

"I guess," said Sarah with a pout. "I just don't want to drive the boring car. We might as well buy a freaking mini van."

"You're not having second thoughts, are you?" Chuck asked thoughtfully.

"No silly," said Sarah mockingly as she punched Chuck playfully. "I'm not having second thoughts. I want a family so much, I can taste it. I just love my car. Can't I have both?"

"Sorry babe," Chuck said with a silly grin. "Someone has to make sacrifices for the greater Bartowski good."

"Sacrifices?" Sarah asked sarcastically. "How about throwing up every morning for a month, walking around like a blimp for six months, and pushing out of my body something the size of a watermelon? Then six months of doing sit ups trying to get my shape back. Isn't that enough sacrifice? What sacrifice are you going to be making?"

"Well," said Chuck with his grin starting to fade. "I was going to rub your back while you're in labor."

Sarah just glared at him in a playful way.

"Come on babe," Chuck said softly. "Look at the bright side. Your breasts are going to get bigger."

Sarah's glare lost much of its playfulness.

"Umm," Chuck said softly as he kissed Sarah goodbye. "I'm late. I really have to pick up Angel. We'll figure out a way to keep your car. Ok?"

"Good answer." said Sarah with a sheepish grin as she returned Chuck's kiss.

- - - -

Angel was standing on the sidewalk, as always, waiting for Chuck to arrive. When he pulled up she jumped into the car.

"Sorry I'm late." Chuck said with a sigh.

"I'm glad you made it." Angel said as she kissed Chuck on the cheek. "I was starting to get worried that you weren't coming."

"Why would you be worried about that?" Chuck asked playfully.

"Oh, I don't know." replied Angel. "Where's Sarah? You guys had a fight, didn't you?"

"What makes you say that?"

"I can tell from your face." Angel said with a sly smile. "You asked her didn't you?"

"What?" Chuck asked in a confused tone.

"Oh, no." he continued as he remembered what Angel was talking about. "She is going to meet us there."

"Is this going to be weird?" Angel asked. "Does she hate me?"

"Why would she hate you?" Chuck asked. "Sarah is actually very nice. I think you two are going to be friends."

"And she's not jealous?" Angel asked skeptically.

"Jealous of what?" Chuck questioned.

"Me," said Angel shyly as she looked out the passenger window. "She's not worried that I might be falling for you?"

"Are you?"

"Of course not," Angel said softly with a sigh, more to herself than to Chuck, as she continued to look out the window. "That would be stupid."

"I don't think that Sarah is jealous." Chuck said with a smile as he reached over and rubbed Angel's arm. "I think that she understands."

"Where are we going today?" Angel said trying to change the subject.

"We're meeting Sarah at the zoo." Chuck said with a big smile. "Do you like the zoo?"

"The zoo?" questioned Angel with a laugh. "One thing I love about being with you Chuck. I would never, ever be able to guess what you have on your mind."

- - - -

Carina was with Scott Wilson in his hotel room when Sarah got in the car with Casey.

"What's going on?" Sarah asked. "How's she doing?"

"She's doing great." Casey said sarcastically. "She's in Wilson's room. He just hit a double and the cleanup hitter is up."

As Sarah listened to the audio from Carina's bug, she could very plainly hear the sounds of kissing.

"Why don't you take a walk?" Sarah asked softly. "I'll listen for a while."

"Why?" said Casey sarcastically. "She's just doing her job, right? This is going to let her get closer to Wilson. That's a good thing, right?"

"Yes," said Sarah. "But that doesn't mean it is easy to listen too."

"Don't worry about me." Casey said gruffly without looking at Sarah. "She's doing what she needs too."

Sarah could tell from the muffled sounds coming from Carina's bug that was hidden in her bra that she was no longer wearing it. They had to really turn up the volume to make out what was going on. There wasn't much conversation but the groans they could hear made it obvious what was going on. Sarah looked at Casey. He wouldn't meet her gaze but she could tell that his teeth were clenched and his hands were tightly gripping the steering wheel. Finally there was silence except for what sounded like heavy breathing.

"Wow." Wilson said while obviously trying to catch his breath. "I have to go to a meeting now but that was great. Why don't you bring some clothes with you tomorrow and stay for a while?"

"Ok." Carina said with a smile. "How long should I plan on staying?"

"Why don't you plan on a few days?" Wilson replied with a smile as he opened the door. "We'll play it by ear from there. And bring your suit. We'll see if we can have some fun."

After Wilson walked out of the room and closed the door, Carina replied grimly "You can count on that."

- - - -

When Sarah arrived at the Zoo parking lot she quickly spotted the Porsche with Chuck and Angel inside.

"Hi babe." said Chuck as they all got out of the car. "You remember Angel, right?"

"Of course." said Sarah with a big smile as she walked up and hugged Angel. "It's so nice to see you again. How have you been?"

"I've been good." Angel said with a wry smile. "I notice that you're dressed a lot differently than the last time we were together."

"And I notice that you're dressed." Sarah said with a laugh. "That's a lot different than the last time we were together."

"Ladies," said Chuck with a laugh as he stepped between them trying to change the subject. "When is the last time you were at the zoo?"

They had a great time walking around the zoo. Chuck kept the girls in stitches all day by imitating every animal that they saw. After a couple of hours they decided to take a break in the café. Chuck went up to the counter to get their meals while the girls sat at a table.

"Thanks." Angel said softly.

"For what?" Sarah replied with a smile.

"For letting me spend so much time with your husband." Angel said while looking down at the table. "I've been having a blast."

"So I hear." said Sarah with a smile. "You're very welcome. It got me out of having to go deep sea fishing."

"You have to go sometime." Angel said with a laugh. "I didn't think I would like it either but it was the most fun I've ever had in my life."

"I'll take your word for it." Sarah said matching Angel's laugh.

"But really," Angel said suddenly more serious. "He's such a great guy. You're not jealous?"

"Well, Angel," said Sarah slowly after pausing to think for a moment. "I'm working hard not to be jealous. I trust Chuck. I know that he cares for you a lot. I know that he is getting you into a rehab program. With Chuck, what you see is what you get. You're right; he is a really great guy."

"You really love him." Angel whispered softly. "Don't you? You don't know how lucky you are."

"He's my life, Angel." Sarah said with a smile. "If you have told me a year ago that I would feel like I'm feeling, I would have said you were crazy. There's nothing I wouldn't do for him. I'll even let him be friends with another beautiful woman. There might be times when I get jealous, but I'm going to fight that feeling as much as I can. And yes, I know how lucky I am."

"He really loves you too." Angel said softly. "Trust me. I've tried every way to get him into bed that I can think of. He's shot me down every time."

"You'd like to be more than friends." Sarah said sadly. "Wouldn't you?"

"If things were different." Angel said as she finally looked into Sarah's eyes. "Sure. But I understand the situation. I'm just happy to have what I can have. Please don't take that away from me."

"Don't worry." Sarah said with a smile. "I won't. For one thing, you're too important to Chuck. I trust you."

Just them Chuck came back with a tray overloaded with food and drinks. Both Sarah and Angel just looked at him for a minute. Then they both burst into laughter at the same time.

"What?" Chuck said self consciously. "Is there something on my face?"

"No," said Sarah, still laughing as she began to distribute the food. "Angel and I were just talking about how lucky we both are."

After they were finished eating, Angel excused herself for a coke break. As soon as she was gone, Sarah slid next to Chuck and kissed him. His face turned red as he felt her tongue brush past his lips. The kiss which lasted for a long moment quickly turned passionate. When the kiss finally broke, Chuck smiled.

"What was that for?" he whispered shyly, looking around to see if people noticed.

"What?" asked Sarah mockingly. "Can't a girl show her new husband how much she loves him?"

"I guess." said Chuck with a smile. "But you just showed the whole zoo."

"Well," Sarah said as she stood up. "I'm sorry but I have to go. Enjoy the rest of the day and come over to Casey's as soon as you drop Angel off. Apologize to Angel for me, will you? Tell her that I had fun and can't wait for the next time we get together. Tell her that this shows how much I trust her. She'll understand what you mean."

"I'll tell her." said Chuck with concern. "She'll like that. But why are you leaving? Is something wrong?"

"I'm afraid so." Sarah said with a sigh.

"Carina had to sleep with Scott Wilson today."

- - - -


	11. Big Trouble

_Warning: There is some adult content in this. Nothing major but please use discretion. As always, thanks to Natty for the beta. I'm getting sort of tired of saying that I still don't own Chuck. But I still don't. I do think that I might own Angel and that's not looking half bad._

_Most of the folks that used to frequent the Creative thread at the TWoP board now regularly converse at the Chuck forum at this site. If you're a Chuck fan (and why else would you be reading this?) please join us as we count down the days until the 2__nd__ season. It's getting close. We look forward to your contribution to the conversation._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It's the only reward that we get for putting ourselves out there. Even if you didn't like something, please tell us. Trust me, I'm not complaining. I really appreciate the support I've gotten. It really helps. Ok, enough with the lecture. So without further ado,_

_**Big Trouble**_

- - - -

When Angel returned to the table, she saw Chuck sitting alone.

"Where is Sarah?" Angel asked looking around.

"She had to leave." Chuck said as he got up from his seat. "She got a call from her friend Carina. I'm not sure exactly but it was some emergency. She told me to tell you how sorry she is. She really had a good time and she's looking forward to the next time we all get together."

"That's nice." Angel said with a smile.

"She also wanted me to tell you something else." Chuck said with a smile. "She wanted me to tell you that this shows just how much she trusts you."

"She said that?" Angel said with a grin.

"Yup," was Chuck's reply. "She said that you would know what she meant."

"That's nice." Angel said with her eyes shinning. "Tell her I said thank you. Will you do that?"

"Of course," said Chuck with a laugh as he extended his hand. "But you can tell her yourself. Are you ready to see the rest of the zoo?"

"Sure," said Angel, matching Chuck's laugh as she took his hand. "Where did we leave off?"

Chuck and Angel spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the remainder of the zoo. As they walked from exhibit to exhibit they held hands like a couple of teenagers, swinging them as they walked. Chuck continued his routine of imitating every animal. At the lion exhibit, Chuck's imitation drew quite a crowd as he paced back and forth, occasionally throwing his head back in a roar. Angel hid her face in her hands while she sat on a bench, watching him and laughing uncontrollably.

"Wow," she said still laughing as they walked away. "You really had me fooled. And I thought you were shy."

"I am shy." Chuck said as he grabbed her hand. "But we're having a good time, aren't we?"

"Yes, Chuck," said Angel with her face beaming. "We're having a great time. I never thought I could have such a good time."

"Isn't this better than getting high?" Chuck asked.

Angel's smile instantly disappeared as she looked at the ground sadly.

"Come on, Angel," said Chuck with a laugh as he stopped and put his arms around her. "I wasn't trying to make you feel bad. I'm sorry if you took it that way. It's a serious question. I really want to know. Isn't this more fun than getting high?"

"Yes," said Angel sadly as she rested her head on Chuck's chest. "It's a lot better."

"Then I have some good news." Chuck said softly as he gently rubbed Angel's back. "Carina was able to call in a few favors and she got you into the top Treatment Center in the country. It's in Malibu. We'll drive you up there next week."

"Come on, Chuck," said Angel with a sigh. "That sounds great. But I can't afford that. That's the kind of place that movie stars go to."

"Don't worry about that." Chuck said soothingly as he continued rubbing her back. "Carina already took care of that. Your job is just to get better. Ok?"

"I guess." said Angel softly without looking up.

"Great," Chuck said with a smile. "I'm sorry if I spoiled the mood. Let's get back to the zoo. You haven't seen my imitation of the gorillas yet."

"Oh my goodness," Angel said, laughing through her tears. "I can't wait to see what kind of crowd that will attract."

"Come on," said Chuck as he playfully grabbed Angel's hand and led her away. "Let's find out."

Needless to say, Chuck's gorilla imitation was a crowd favorite.

- - - -

As soon as Chuck and Angel got into the car after their day at the zoo, Angel turned to Chuck and grabbed his hand.

"I had a blast today." she said with a warm smile. "Thank you."

"Are you kidding?" Chuck said. "I should be thanking you. I can't remember when I've had more fun than the past few days."

"You're the best friend I've ever had." Angel said softly. "I hope that you know that. I would do anything for you."

"You know that I care for you." Chuck said just as softly. "Don't you?"

"If you care for me," said Angel slowly. "Will you be honest with me?"

"I don't know what you mean." said Chuck.

"Come on, Chuck," Angel said in a frustrated whisper. "You know what I mean. Why is Carina, a woman I've met one time, getting me into a rehab center that caters to movie stars?"

"This is really bugging you." Chuck said with a soft laugh. "Isn't it?"

Angel nodded.

"Ok, Angel," Chuck said softly. "I'll tell you the whole story. But I don't want to do it in the car. Let's go get something to eat. Are you hungry?"

"I could eat." said Angel with a smile.

- - - -

Chuck pulled into the first family style restaurant that he saw. Since it was a little after the dinner rush there was no wait for a table. The place was actually fairly quiet. They were led to a booth in a corner of the restaurant. The waitress quickly brought their coffee and took their orders. As soon as she left Chuck smiled at Angel and wordlessly reached across the table and offered both of his hands. Angel eyes lit up as she quickly responded by grabbing them.

"Are you ready to hear the story?' Chuck asked with a smile.

Angel just nodded expectantly.

"Ok," said Chuck with a sigh. "But before I start, I want to tell you something. I need you to listen to me carefully. I want you to look me in the eye so that you'll know that I'm telling you the truth."

Angel's look told him to continue.

"I care for you a great deal." Chuck said softly. "I do. You're an amazing person. I would say that I love you but I don't want you to misunderstand. I'm your friend. I would do anything for you. And nothing I'm about to tell you is going to change that. Do you believe me?"

Angel nodded with tears starting to form in her eyes.

"I'm afraid for you, Angel." Chuck continued. "If things stay the way they are, within six months I'll be going to your funeral. You know I'm right."

Angel nodded sadly with tears starting to flow down her cheeks.

"So you have to promise me," said Chuck as he squeezed Angel's hands. "Promise me that you will fight to not let that happen. That would crush me. Will you promise me?"

"Yes." Angel whispered. "I promise."

"Ok." said Chuck. "Here goes. The reason that Carina can get you into this world famous rehab center for free is that she was an undercover D.E.A. agent. They owe her a ton of favors over the years. And the reason that Sarah and I were at the club and at those parties was to help Carina bust Joel Matlin."

"You're a cop?" Angel said in surprise.

"Angel," said Chuck with a laugh. "Do I look like a cop? No, I'm not a cop. I'm not anything. Even Carina's not a cop any more. Her and Sarah work for the government. Exactly what they do is secret. I can't say any more about that. But the only reason they were going after Matlin was that he was using some of his drug profits to fund terrorism. I'm sorry. I know that he was your friend."

"Friend?" said Angel sarcastically. "He's not my friend. I hate him. He is an evil, sadistic son of a bitch. I can't tell you the sick, perverted things he makes people do to get his coke."

"Well I guess that it won't make you cry to hear that he's dead?" Chuck asked with a smile.

"I'm glad." said Angel. "But what does that have to do with me?"

"Nothing really." said Chuck with a short laugh. "But there is another terrorist that Carina is following. His name is Scott Wilson. And you were…"

"I was dating him through the escort service." Angel interrupted.

"Yes," Chuck said with a grin while squeezing Angel's hands. "You seem to attract terrorists. So that first night at the hotel, I intercepted you so Carina could take your place with Wilson. She has been dating him every since then trying to figure out what he is up to."

"So that's why we went to Disneyland and fishing." Angel said sadly.

"No," said Chuck firmly. "Look at me, Angel. We did those things because they were fun."

"So," said Angel sadly. "What do you want from me?"

"Well," said Chuck softly. "Carina has to go to one of Scott Wilson's pool parties. It will be very dangerous for her because she won't be able to wear a wire or carry any weapons. If they find out that she's undercover, she's a goner. We're hoping that you can tell us something about these parties that we can use to help Carina be safer."

"I get it." said Angel sadly. "If I cooperate, you'll send me to rehab."

"No, Angel," said Chuck his voice rising in frustration. "You don't get it. You're going to rehab because you're my friend, because I love you, and because I don't want to go to your funeral. It has nothing to do with if you help us. Don't get me wrong. I hope that you'll help us. I do. I think that it's the right thing to do. You'd be helping us stop some pretty evil people. But even if you don't, I'll still love you."

"Really?" Angel asked with tears now flowing freely.

"Really." said Chuck softly with a smile.

- - - -

As soon as Chuck stepped into Casey's place he could feel the tension. Sarah and Carina were at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee. Casey was sitting on the couch doing what he always did then he was tense. He was cleaning his gun.

"About freaking time," Casey said with a growl as Chuck entered the room. "Maybe we can get started."

Chuck walked over to where Carina was sitting and gave her a hug.

"How are you doing?" he said softly as he rubbed her arm.

"Come on." Casey said loudly. "Can we stop with the encounter group crap? Ok. She had sex with a terrorist. She did her job. It happens. Can we forget about it?"

"I thought that kind of stuff didn't bother you?" asked Chuck.

"It doesn't." said Casey dismissively.

"It sure sounds like it does." said Sarah firmly. "Maybe it would be better to get it out into the open."

"Ok." shouted Casey. "What do you want me to say? Do you want me to say that it killed me to listen to them going at it? Ok, it did. Do you want me to say that I'll never feel the same way about Carina? Ok, I won't. Are you happy now?"

"What?" Carina cried in anguish.

"I'm sorry, Carina," said Casey firmly. "I really don't think that we can be together anymore."

"Really?" Carina whispered as she walked over to stand in front of him. "Please."

"I think that it's best if I get a hotel room for tonight." Casey said softly.

Sarah threw herself into Chuck's arms with tears running down her cheeks.

"This is awful." Sarah whispered.

Chuck was trying to comfort Sarah but he had his own tears to contend with. Suddenly he noticed that both Casey and Carina were shaking with laughter. They had to support each other to keep from falling to the floor.

Chuck and Sarah were too stunned to do anything for a few moments except watch them laugh.

"You jerks," said Sarah with a smile beginning to form as soon as she realized what was going on. "Very freaking funny."

"That was so great." said Carina as she struggled to compose herself. "You guys fell for that hook, line, and sinker. I knew that you would when Sarah warned me to be careful on the phone yesterday."

"You should have seen her in the car today." Casey said as he wiped the tears out of his eyes. "She asked me if I wanted to take a walk."

That started Casey and Carina into another round of uncontrollable laughing.

"But I don't understand." Chuck said haltingly. "You mean that Casey's not upset?"

"No, Chuck," said Sarah in a grim voice. "They've been playing us."

"How could I be upset?" said Casey trying hard to control himself. "I'm so proud of her that I could burst. She sacrificed for the greater good. I've never loved her more."

"Thanks, sweetie." said Carina while still laughing. "You should have seen the looks on your faces. I think that Sarah was actually crying."

"Crying?" Casey mocked. "Not super spy Sarah Walker."

That sent then into yet another round of laughter.

"I was not." said Sarah with a pout. "And it's Sarah Bartowski, thank you. You guys just wait. When we get you back, you're not going to know what hit you."

"Maybe I'll have to take a walk." Casey said laughing as he mocked her.

"Oh, I don't know, sweetie," said Carina. "I'd be careful if I was you."

This brought on yet more laughter.

"Fine," said Sarah threw gritted teeth as she grabbed Chuck's hand. "This is no way to be abused when you're supposed to be on your honeymoon. We'll be in the bedroom necking. Let us know when you're ready to be professional. But I would knock on the door first before coming in unless you want a show."

"Wait," choked out Carina as she struggled to speak.

"I think that might be the most fun I've ever had." said Casey with tears streaming down his face from laughing so hard.

"Ok," said Carina after a minute as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Ok. We're sorry. You're right. Let's get to work."

"Wow," said Casey as he tried to get control. "Ok. You know the situation. Wilson wants Carina to spend a couple of days with him and then go to his pool party."

"So that means that we're right back in the same situation that we were a few days ago." said Sarah.

"Now's the time that we could really use Angel." Casey said dryly. "What do you think that Casanova's chances are?"

"Well actually," said Chuck with a grin. "You'll be happy to know that Casanova has already come through. I've talked to Angel. She knows the situation and she's willing to help us."

"Really, Chuck," said Sarah excitedly. "That's great. When can we talk to her?"

"It's funny you should say that." said Chuck with an even bigger grin.

"She's waiting in the car."

- - - -


	12. Looks Like an Angel

_Warning: There is some adult content in this. Nothing major but please use discretion. As always, thanks to Natty for the beta. I'm getting sort of tired of saying that I still don't own Chuck. But I still don't. I do think that I might own Angel and that's not looking half bad._

_Most of the folks that used to frequent the Creative thread at the TWoP board now regularly converse at the Chuck forum at this site. If you're a Chuck fan (and why else would you be reading this?) please join us as we count down the days until the 2__nd__ season. It's getting close. We look forward to your contribution to the conversation._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It's the only reward that we get for putting ourselves out there. Even if you didn't like something, please tell us. Trust me, I'm not complaining. I really appreciate the support I've gotten. It really helps. Ok, enough with the lecture. So without further ado,_

_**Looks Like an Angel**_

- - - -

Scott Wilson was sitting at his desk in his hotel suite looking over some paperwork. There were three other people in the room. One of the men was performing a sweep for electronic devices. The other two waited patiently for the sweep to be completed.

"The room's clean, sir." said the electronics man after a few minutes.

"Great," replied Wilson crisply. ""You're dismissed."

"Yes, sir." said the man as he left the room.

"Ok, Jones," said Wilson as he turned to the other men. "Tell me what you found out."

"Yes, sir." replied Jones. "It turns out that this Carina woman is actually Carina Hansen. She is officially with the D.E.A. but is on some special assignment. She has had quite a distinguished career. She is a deep cover specialist. She is an expert in hand to hand combat and small caliber weapons. She is one of the top agents in the field. But she has been passed over for promotion several times because of her tendency to take unacceptable risks on missions."

"How confident are you of your sources?" Wilson said skeptically. "We can't afford to be wrong."

"I'm very confident, sir." said Jones crisply. "We have a man on the inside. He hasn't been wrong yet."

"She is coming tomorrow to spend the night." Wilson said with a smile. "She is almost certainly bugged."

"Yes, sir" said Jones.

"Ok," said Wilson thoughtfully. "This is what we'll do. I'll get her out of her clothes. Once that happens I want you to find the bug and lock it in a soundproof box. That way, whoever is listening won't hear anything but the bug will still be active."

"I understand sir." said Jones.

"This is going to be fun." said Wilson to himself with a chuckle. "Since she's undercover, she is trying to get close to me. That means that she won't turn down anything that I ask her to do."

"That's true sir." said Jones with a smile.

"Let's see how far we can push that envelope." Wilson said, openly laughing. "I'm going to enjoy this. A lot."

"Yes sir." said Jones, his smile turning into a full grin.

"And Jones?" Wilson said.

"Sir?"

"I'll bet she's not alone." said Wilson. "Run a check on anyone that the agency is sending us. Do a detailed check on anyone who has been with them less than one month."

"Yes sir."

"Jackson," Wilson said as he addressed the other man. "Are we ready?"

"Yes sir," replied Jackson. "The gas canisters are all ready. We will be able to distribute them after the party Thursday. We should be ready for the attacks on Saturday."

"Excellent," said Wilson. "Do we have confirmed targets?"

"Yes sir," said Jackson with a grin. "We have teams waiting in Columbus, Los Angeles, Ann Arbor, Happy Valley, Miami, Gainesville, Tuscaloosa, Auburn, and South Bend."

"Do we have an estimate on casualties?" Wilson asked.

"Yes sir," replied Jackson. "Assuming a ninety percent fatality rate, we're going to kill a little over eight hundred thousand people. The only question mark is the Rose Bowl. Since it's in a different time zone, they may be prepared to stop that attack. The others will happen within a ten minute window. There will be no time to issues any warnings. But it's worth the risk. There will be over one hundred thousand people there."

"Well done," said Wilson. "We have a chance to make history here. We owe it to our people to strike back at these imperialists. I won't tolerate any mistakes."

"Yes sir," said Jackson and Jones simultaneously as they got up to leave.

"Oh, and men" said Wilson with a smile. "Let's think of a really special way for our agent friend to die. Something that when they find her body tells those bastards in Washington exactly what she went through. Maybe they'll think twice next time before they mess with us. Maybe the next agent won't be so eager to volunteer."

"Yes sir." said Jones with a grin as he left the room. "Trust me. I have just the thing."

- - - -

As Chuck went out to get Angel from the car, Casey turned to Sarah.

"How much can we trust this Angel?" he said skeptically.

"Well," said Sarah slowly after she thought for a moment. "I don't know about trust. I do think that she genuinely loves Chuck. I think that would mean a lot in terms of loyalty. She would do pretty much anything he asked her."

"Ok.' said Casey.

"But I'm not sure how much that extends to the rest of us." Sarah continued. "She may not be too sad to have me out of the way. So I guess it would be smart to play it safe. We won't tell her anything about the mission. And certainly not anything about the intersect."

"That won't be hard." Casey said with a growl. "There's not much we can tell her anyway. We don't know anything."

"Aren't you at all worried about Chuck?" Carina asked gently. "I mean here you have a beautiful woman who, by your admission, would do anything that he would ask. That's a lot of temptation for any man."

Sarah smiled and shook her head firmly.

"But Sarah," Carina said a little more insistently. "Think about our training. That's exactly the position we try and get men into. I know that Chuck loves you. I'm not questioning that. It just doesn't seem fair to subject him to that level of temptation. I'd hate for one moment of weakness to mess up the rest of your life."

"I trust Chuck." Sarah said with a beaming smile. "That's the one thing in life I can be sure of. He would never betray me."

Just then Chuck led Angel by the hand into the room. She was obviously nervous as her eyes darted from person to person. As soon as she was comfortably in the room, Sarah walked up to Angel and threw her arms around her.

"Don't be nervous." Sarah whispered softly in Angel's ear. "We're all friends here."

As soon as Sarah released Angel, Carina stepped up and embraced her much like Sarah had.

"Thank you for helping me." Carina said softly. "I know this is hard for you. I'll never forget it. You're doing a good thing."

Chuck, who was still holding Angel's hand, gave it a squeeze for reassurance.

"See?" he said with a broad smile as he led Angel to the couch. "Didn't I tell you there was nothing to be afraid of? Just as long as you stay away from Casey."

That broke the tension as they all, including Casey, shared a laugh.

Sarah took a seat on the couch next to Chuck. Chuck was in the middle with Angel on his other side. Casey and Carina took seats on the loveseat that was to the side of the couch.

"Angel," asked Sarah with a smile. "Can we ask you a few questions?"

Angel nodded.

"Can you tell us about the meetings at the hotel?" Sarah asked. "How many of them have you been to?"

"I think about ten." Angel replied.

"And can you tell us about them?" Sarah asked.

"Well," Angel said after pausing to think for a moment. "They were all very similar. There were always about six men there. Each man had a lady assigned. We would have dinner and drinks. It was just social. After a while, the ladies were asked to leave."

"Any sex?" Sarah asked.

"No." Angel said as she shook her head. "We would just flirt. We were told to make the men feel wanted. I would smile and bat my eyes. Laugh at their jokes, that sort of thing. There was a lot of sexual banter. Some of it was quite suggestive. Sometimes a man would put his hand on my leg. Sometimes it would get pretty high. And I never made a move to stop him. But there wasn't any sex. Now at the pool parties …"

"We'll talk about that in a second." Carina interrupted. "Was it always new men at he hotel or were there any repeats?"

"Well," said Angel. "Scott Wilson was always there, of course. There were a couple of men that I saw more than once but I'd have to say they were mostly new."

"Did you ever hear anything about what they were discussing?" Sarah asked.

"Not really." Angel replied. "It was just social stuff when I was there. The men always stayed behind. I'm guessing they talked business after dinner."

"Tell us about the pool parties." Carina said. "How many of them have you been too? Do you know the place?"

"I've been to two." Angel said with a smile. "They were held at this huge mansion. It was right on the water. A real lifestyles of the rich and famous kind of place. I don't know the address but I could find it in a car."

"What were they like?" asked Sarah.

"All of the ladies were brought in on a bus." Angel said. "The men would already be there in some sort of meeting. We would lie around the pool. Then when the men got out, it got pretty wild. There was music and lots of booze. A lot of the women would take their tops off. Then, every once in a while, one of the men would ask you to dance or go inside with him. I'm just guessing but I think that the parties were some kind of reward. Most of the men at the parties, I recognized from the hotel."

"Do you think that you could get me into that party?" Sarah asked.

"Sure." Angel replied quickly. They were always asking us to bring our friends. The more, the merrier, they said. But …"

"But?" Sarah asked with a smile.

"Well," Angel said while looking at the floor with her face blushing. "You know what you would have to do. I didn't think that you were a pro. Would you be willing to do that?"

"No, Angel," Chuck replied firmly while looking directly at Sarah. "She wouldn't."

"Chuck," Sarah whispered. "It's the only way I can think of to back Carina up."

"And how is having two weaponless agents in there both on your backs going to help?" Chuck asked angrily.

"He's right." said Casey firmly. "How are you going to be able to help Carina? You'd be just as defenseless. Then I'd have to rescue both of you on my own."

"Chuck, please," Sarah replied with her voice rising. "At least I could watch her back."

"Too bad you can't do the same thing you did with Matlin at his party." Angel said with a laugh. "If Chuck was there, you could just make sure that you stayed with him. Judging by what I saw at Matlin's party, I assume he wouldn't mind that."

"That's brilliant." said Casey with a laugh. "Why didn't we think of that? If Chuck was one of the men, he could carry the wire and some weapons. If it went to hell, Sarah and Carina could get their weapons from Chuck. I'll get a hold of headquarters and see if they can get Chuck invited."

"But wait a minute." said Angel cautiously. "Isn't this dangerous? I thought you said that these guys were dangerous."

Angel turned to Chuck. "I thought that you said that you weren't a cop?"

"Angel," Sarah said with a big smile as she put her head on Chuck's shoulder. "None of us are cops. Well, maybe Carina is technically. But Chuck sure isn't. He's just a regular guy. He has always volunteered to do these kinds of things to help keep me safe. He's sort of a hero."

"Don't worry." said Chuck as he squeezed Angel's hand for reassurance. "Sarah wouldn't let anybody hurt me."

"And how is she going to do that?" Angel asked skeptically. "I mean, no offense Sarah, but look at you. You're gorgeous and everything but I could probably kick your ass. Aren't you worried about Chuck? What are you going to do against a bunch of terrorists?"

"I think I'll do ok." said Sarah with a grin as she picked up a knife off the end table.

"I think that it's a little to dark in here." Sarah said as she threw the knife into the light switch on the other side of the room.

"That's better." Sarah said looking at Angel with a sly smile as the light came on. "Don't you think?"

"Damn it, Sarah." Casey said in exasperation. "Every time you show off, I have to replace a light switch."

"Holy shit," Angel whispered under her breath as she looked at the knife protruding from the switch and then back to Sarah grinning.

"Um, Angel," said Chuck softly. "You're kind of hurting my hand."

- - - -


	13. Devil in Disguise

_Warning: There is some adult content in this. Nothing major but please use discretion. As always, thanks to Natty for the beta. I'm getting sort of tired of saying that I still don't own Chuck. But I still don't. I do think that I might own Angel and that's not looking half bad._

_Most of the folks that used to frequent the Creative thread at the TWoP board now regularly converse at the Chuck forum at this site. If you're a Chuck fan (and why else would you be reading this?) please join us as we count down the days until the 2__nd__ season. It's getting close. We look forward to your contribution to the conversation._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It's the only reward that we get for putting ourselves out there. Even if you didn't like something, please tell us. Trust me, I'm not complaining. I really appreciate the support I've gotten. It really helps. Ok, enough with the lecture. So without further ado,_

_**Devil in Disguise**_

- - - -

Angel continued to look in shocked awe at the knife sticking out of the light switch. After a minute she began to shake noticeably. Chuck felt her shaking and quickly put his arm around her.

"Angel, what's wrong?" Chuck asked softly as he rubbed her arm.

"This is real." Angel whispered as he gaze remained fixed on the knife.

Carina got up and walked over to where Angel was sitting. She knelt down so that she was at Angel's eye level.

"This is as real as it gets." Carina said softly with a smile. "But don't worry. We know what we're doing. We're going to be ok. You're really helping us."

"But there's too many of them." Angel said under her breath while she continued to shake. "Carina, there are like forty men at these parties. How can the two of you fight off forty men? It's too dangerous. I don't want to see anything happen to Chuck."

"Relax," said Carina with a smile. "Sarah and I will be there. This is what we do. Chuck will be safe."

"How many knives can Sarah throw?" asked Angel skeptically.

"Angel," Sarah said softly with a smile. "It's sweet that you're so concerned. And I'm happy that Chuck has such a devoted friend. I really am. But, trust me. I would never put Chuck in a position where he would get hurt. I love him too, you know."

"I know." Angel said quickly in a shocked tone. "Sarah, I'm sorry. I didn't mean…"

"It's ok." Sarah said soothingly. "I know you didn't mean anything bad. It's a lot to hear all at once."

"Chuck," Casey said. "Why don't you take Angel home? We'll talk to headquarters and see how they want us to proceed. You can meet Sarah back at your place."

As they stood up to leave Sarah stepped up to Angel and hugged her.

"Don't worry." she whispered in Angel's ear. "It will all work out. It always does."

- - - -

As Chuck was driving Angel home, she was still obviously freaked out.

"How are you so calm?" Angel asked Chuck. "Don't you know how dangerous this can be?"

"I'm used to it." Chuck said with a laugh. "If I had a dollar for every time I've been in this situation."

"But I don't understand." Angel said in a confused tone. "If Sarah loves you so much how could she let you risk your life? I wouldn't let you anywhere near that party. It would kill me if something happened to you."

"She doesn't see it as a risk." Chuck said with a laugh. "She is confident that she can handle anything that comes up. So far, she has. You saw her throw a knife. But that's only a small portion of what she's capable of doing. She's the very best that there is in doing what she does. And Carina is almost as good."

"So," said Angel with a smile. "You're the real life Mr. And Mrs. Smith, right?"

"I don't know about that." Chuck said after he was finished laughing. "It's more like The Lone Ranger and her trusty sidekick, Chucko."

"She's Batman." said Angel with a giggle. "And you're Robin. The boy wonder."

"Oh come on." Chuck replied with a snicker. "The boy wonder? Now you've got me in tights. What man wears tights? I hate tights."

"Ok," said Angel struggling to get the words out between laughing. "She's Captain Kirk and you're Scotty."

"More pow'r, capt'n," said Chuck in a Scottish brogue, sharing the laugh. "I need more pow'r."

They both succumbed to the overwhelming laughter to the point where Chuck was finding it hard to drive. After a few minutes, Chuck was finally able to compose himself.

"Ah," said Chuck, still laughing as he pulled up to Angel's building. "Now you're talking. A fellow trekkie. Why couldn't I have met you two years ago?"

"I guess you don't spend enough time in strip clubs." Angel said with a laugh as she got out of the car.

"That's true." Chuck said thoughtfully as he got out of the car to embrace Angel. "Maybe there's a life lesson there. I'll give you a call tomorrow. I don't know what is going to happen. They may need your help again."

Angel held Chuck closely for a long moment. Finally she sighed.

"Do you want to come in for a minute?" Angel asked softly while resting her head against Chuck's chest.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Chuck said. "Do you? I really need to get home."

"It may not be a good idea." whispered Angel with her head still on Chuck's chest. "But I still want it. Please, Chuck, it sounds like Sarah isn't going to be home for a while. And I'll never tell her. Whatever happens, she doesn't need to know."

"Angel, please stop." said Chuck softly but firmly. "I'm not cheating on Sarah. End of story. Even if she didn't know. I'd know. If I did that, I could never live with myself. I wouldn't be the same guy. I wouldn't deserve her. Or you for that matter."

"I'm sorry." Angel whispered. "Please don't be mad."

"I'm not mad." Chuck said as he kissed the top of Angel's head. "I'm your friend. I love you. You know that, right? But we have to stay friends. I'll do anything for you that is within the confines of friends. Do you believe me?"

"Yes," Angel whispered without moving her head.

"Your Mr. Right is out there somewhere." Chuck said softly while rubbing Angel's back. "I promise. Why don't you let me help you find him?"

"What are you going to do?' Angel whispered skeptically. "Fix me up with one of your friends?"

"Oh hell no." laughed Chuck as he rubbed her back. "My friends aren't nearly good enough for you. Once you meet them, you'll understand. Trust me on this one. I want you to find someone but I'm sure as hell not going to let you settle. No, we'll keep looking. He's out there."

Angel pulled back from the embrace to look Chuck in the eye.

"I hope so."

- - - -

Carina and Sarah sat at the kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee while Casey made arrangements with Washington. After a few minutes, Graham and Beckman came online. They were not in the same room but showed up on the monitor in split screens. Both looked as if they would much rather be sleeping.

"Major Casey." Beckman said harshly. "Do you know what time it is here in the east?"

"Yes ma'am" said Casey. "Sorry ma'am. But we have a situation."

"Where's Bartowski?" said Graham with a yawn.

"Here sir," Sarah said brightly.

"Cute," said Graham sarcastically. "I meant the other one. Your new husband, Mr. Bartowski."

"Yes sir." Sarah said with a smile. "I'm sorry sir. He is taking Angel home."

"The drug addict, hooker." Beckman said derisively.

"Yes ma'am." replied Sarah.

"So," said Beckman. "What is this situation that you need help with?

"Well, ma'am" said Carina. "As you know, we are attempting to penetrate Scott Wilson's organization. We think he is up to something big. We just don't know what. I've been successful at getting close to Wilson but I haven't been able to get into any meetings where business is discussed. We need to get someone in those meetings."

"Wilson's organization solicits donations from legitimate businesses all the time." Graham said. "It would be easy to get someone invited to his meeting posing as a rich businessman. Who would you have in mind?"

"Well sir," said Sarah. "We were thinking that Chuck would be the best candidate. He's believable as a businessman and maybe he'll flash on someone."

"Wouldn't that be a little risky?" Beckman asked. "We sure as hell don't want to take reckless chances with the intersect."

"Well, ma'am," Sarah said. "Carina will be there. Casey and I will be in the car, listening. We don't think that there's much danger here. We're really hoping that Chuck can get himself invited to Wilson's party on Thursday. That's where we think the real action is going down."

"Still," said Beckman thoughtfully. "I would feel a lot better if someone else was there. Why don't we send Sarah as one of the escorts? I'll set it up with the agency. We'll use your Sarah Anderson alias."

"Yes ma'am," said Casey.

"And what about this hooker?" Beckman asked sternly. "I've very uncomfortable with this situation. I don't trust her. We need her controlled. The last thing that we need is for her to show up and tip Wilson off. That could be fatal."

"I don't think that we have much to worry about, ma'am." Carina said. "She is cooperating. She has been a big help."

"I can keep her in the car with me." Casey said. "I can keep an eye on her while I'm monitoring the meeting. Maybe she can even help me piece together what's going on. She has been there before."

"Good," said Beckman. "Well you have your or…"

"But ma'am," Sarah interrupted.

"Is there a problem, Sarah?" Beckman asked icily. "Or do you just have a problem seeing me get some sleep?"

"Well, ma'am," said Sarah. "It's just that the escorts are expected to really come on to the men at these things. I'm not sure that Chuck could handle seeing me in that situation."

"I suggest that you talk with him, Sarah." Beckman said harshly. "Where has he been for the past year? If he can't handle seeing you flirt with someone for a few minutes, we have a huge problem. It calls into question the entire viability of your team. I can't believe that we're having this discussion at this point in time. Am I understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," said Sarah sadly. "I'll handle it."

"Good. You have your orders." Beckman said. "Dismissed."

As soon as the screen went blank Carina turned to Sarah.

"What were you saying to Beckman?" Carina asked. "Why do you think that Chuck will have such a problem? He's seen you flirt with other men tons of times. He may not like it but I think he'll understand."

"I know." Sarah said sadly. "He'll be ok."

"It's you." Carina said with a broad smile. "Isn't it? You don't want to watch another woman come on to Chuck."

"This sucks." Sarah replied with a sigh as she shook her head sadly and looked at the floor.

- - - -

When Chuck walked into the apartment, Sarah was waiting for him. They held each other wordlessly for several minutes. Finally Chuck broke the silence.

"So what did Washington say?" Chuck said while still clutching Sarah tightly.

"They are arranging for Charles Carmichael to attend tomorrow's meeting." Sarah said softly. "Apparently, he is a rich businessman who Wilson is going to hit up for a donation."

"That's good." whispered Chuck with a smile. "As long as that's all he hits."

"They want Angel to be in the car with Casey to help him understand what's going on." Sarah continued. "They really don't trust her. They want Casey to keep an eye on her."

"I'll call her in the morning." Chuck said. "I'm sure she'll be ok with that. She'll want to be involved. I'll sell it as her way to help."

"Beckman wants me to attend as one of the escorts." Sarah said sadly. "I'll be Sarah Anderson."

"What's wrong with that?" Chuck said as he noticed Sarah's mood. "We'll get to work together again."

"Well, Chuck," Sarah said sadly. "That means we're going to be at the same table and I'll be coming on to another man. Are you going to be ok with that?"

"I'm not sure." said Chuck with a chuckle. "It depends. How much coming on are you going to be doing? Just keep your hands on the table where I can see then and we'll be fine."

"I really hate this." Sarah said with a sigh.

"Babe," Chuck said thoughtfully. "I was just kidding. If I'm not used to this by now, I'm in big trouble. Don't worry about me. I understand that you're just acting. I'll get through it. You can make it up to me when we get home."

Chuck could tell that Sarah was still upset because she tightened her grip.

"Ok, babe," Chuck finally said a little more forcefully. "Tell me what's really wrong."

Sarah paused for a long moment. Finally she spoke. "I just hate this."

Chuck rubbed her back to let her know to he was listening.

"I hate that you have to see me like that." Sarah said with a sigh. "I hate that I have to see you with another woman. When are we ever going to be a normal couple?"

"I don't see normal being in our future." Chuck said with a laugh. "Do you?"

"I guess not." whispered Sarah.

"But, you know what?" Chuck said softly. "I wouldn't have it any other way. Before I met you, I never considered the sacrifices that lots of people were making for the greater good. You made me see that. Now I'm proud that I'm one of those people. And that's totally because of you. And sure, I'm not going to like seeing some other guy pawing you. And I bet that you're not going to like seeing some other woman on me. But the reason that we're doing it is worth it."

"I'm so proud of you too." Sarah said softly. "I signed up for this life. I've been trained to deal with it. You've been drafted."

"I signed up too." said Chuck with a grin. "I signed up when I said I do. Don't you think? One thing you have to admit. Our marriage sure hasn't been boring."

Sarah nodded wordlessly.

"I know what the problem is." Chuck said with an even bigger grin. "You haven't had your dose of most loved woman in the world yet today."

"I know." Sarah said with a wry smile. "I think that Angel got my dose today."

Chuck's smile instantly disappeared, replaced by a look of concern.

"I'm so sorry I said that." Sarah said quickly as she saw Chuck's look. "That wasn't fair. I understand the deal with you and Angel. I'm not jealous."

"You're not?" Chuck asked skeptically.

"Ok," said Sarah with a small smile. "Maybe a little. But I'm trying hard not to be. You're doing the right thing. I know that. I don't want you to change."

"I can see what needs to happen here." Chuck said with a grin as he picked Sarah up and cradled her in his arms. "You need a double dose. We need to nip this in the bud. Luckily, I have a double dose here with me."

"Whatever you say, doctor." Sarah said with a laugh as she put her arms around Chuck's neck and he carried her into the bedroom.

"I'm all yours."

- - - -


	14. The Proposition

_Warning: There is some adult content in this. Nothing major but please use discretion. Thanks to Natty, as always, for the beta. I'm getting sort of tired of saying that I still don't own Chuck. But I still don't._

_Most of the folks that used to frequent the Creative thread at the TWoP board now regularly converse at the Chuck forum at this site. If you're a Chuck fan (and why else would you be reading this?) please join us as we count down the days until the 2__nd__ season. It's really getting close. We look forward to your contribution to the conversation._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It's the only reward that we get for putting ourselves out there. I really appreciate the support that you've given me. It really helps. _

_We're getting close. _

_**The Proposition**_

- - - -

Casey and Carina were sitting in the living room waiting for Chuck, Sarah, and Angel to arrive. Carina's bag was packed and ready to go for her stay with Scott Wilson.

"Are you all set?" Casey asked with a smile.

"I think so." Carina replied, matching Casey's smile.

"Nervous?" Casey asked.

"I'm not really nervous." said Carina thoughtfully. "I have the usual pre game jitters. It will be different not wearing a wire. It's been a long time since I've been on this kind of assignment."

"I want you to be careful." said Casey softly.

"Come on, Casey," said Carina with a laugh. "You know that I don't know how to be careful. Being careful gets you killed."

"I know." said Casey with a smile. "I just had to say it."

"One thing I am nervous about," said Carina. "Is this will be the longest we've been apart since Vegas. I'm really going to miss you."

"I know." Casey said softly while looking at the floor. "Me too. Just for the record, I am jealous, you know."

"I know." Carina said with a grin as she kissed him. "It's sweet. Don't worry. It'll be over soon."

Just then Sarah walked in the door.

"Hi guys." Sarah said cheerily as she sat down on the love seat. "Hope I'm interrupting something. Are we ready for today?"

"It looks like someone is in a better mood." Carina said with a laugh.

"I had a good night." Sarah replied with a grin as her eyes sparkled.

"So," Carina said with a giggle. "How many times?"

"Give me a break." Casey growled as he got up and walked into the kitchen. "I just had lunch. Unless you want to see it, I'd suggest we change the subject."

"No problem." Sarah said with a smile as she held up three fingers behind Casey's back.

"I saw that." Casey said disgustedly. "I can see your reflection in the window. Damn, what is he anyway, a freaking machine?"

"Let's just say that he's highly motivated." Sarah replied with a grin.

"Whatever." Casey muttered.

With that Chuck and Angel walked in the room.

"Thank God," Casey said. "Can we please get to work?"

Chuck sat next to Sarah on the love seat and Angel sat on the couch next to Carina.

"Ok." said Casey. "This is the plan. Carina will go in first and meet up with Wilson in his room. Sarah will follow a few minutes later just before dinner. Chuck will go in just in time for the dinner. Chuck and Sarah will be wearing wires. Sarah is going to try and plant a wire on Wilson and whoever she gets assigned to at dinner. Angel and I will be in the car monitoring the conversation. After dinner, we're guessing that Sarah will be asked to leave. She will meet us in the car and we'll monitor Chuck and whoever Sarah has been able to plant. Any questions?"

"Carina isn't wearing a wire?" Chuck asked.

"No." said Carina. "We figure it wouldn't help us anyway. There's no way I could keep it concealed for multiple days. And there's always the risk that they would discover it and get tipped off. I'll be on my own until we meet up at the pool party."

"What happens if Sarah gets assigned to me?" Chuck asked.

"We'll have to try and make sure that doesn't happen, babe." Sarah said softly. "We need as many bugs planted as possible."

"But what happens if they find the bugs? Chuck asked with his blow furrowed. "Won't that give us away?"

"We're using special units." Casey said as he held up one. "These look like a book of matches. The electronics will only last for about an hour. After that, if they sweep, they won't see them. We're hoping that they don't do a sweep within an hour. It's worth the risk. All Sarah has to do is slip them in their pocket."

"And how is Sarah going to get her hand in their pockets?" Chuck asked sadly.

"That's not the right question, genius." Casey said with a smirk. "The right question is how long is her hand going to be in that pocket?"

"Very funny." Sarah said curtly. "Don't worry, Chuck. It will be fine. They won't even know that it happened."

"We're really interested in the meeting after dinner." Carina said. "We suspect that they are going to hit you up for a donation. We really want you to get invited to the party on Thursday."

"And, Angel," Sarah said softly with a smile. "You can't leave the car. We all are aware of your problem. If you need to take something, just do it in the car. Casey won't freak out too much."

"You really should get off that crap." said Casey flatly. "It's going to kill you."

"She's working on it." Carina said as she put her arm around Angel. "Right? She's checking in to the rehab clinic next week."

Angel just smiled at Carina.

"Well," said Sarah with a huge grin. "I guess there's only one thing left to say."

"It's show time."

- - - -

Scott Wilson was sitting in his hotel room when Jones poked his head in.

"Excuse me sir," said Jones. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Come in," said Wilson with a smile. "What's up?"

"A couple of things, sir" said Jones with a smile. "First we just got confirmation that Charles Carmichael will be attending today's meeting. He is CEO of The Carmichael Group. It is a holding company for a large variety of software products. He's a real big shot. We've been trying to get someone from the company here for a long time."

"That is great news." said Wilson as he clapped his hands. "We'll work on him. We'll invite him to the party on Thursday. Make sure that he gets his choice of the escorts. What was the other thing?"

"Well, sir," said Jones as he handed Wilson a picture. "We just got a call from the agency. They are sending us a new girl. Her name is Sarah Anderson."

"Wow," said Wilson under his breath as he looked at the picture. "Look at her. She is stunning."

"Yes, sir," said Jones with a broad smile. "But according to our contacts, her real name is Sarah Walker. She is a CIA agent."

"CIA?" said Wilson in surprise.

"Yes, sir," said Jones. "Apparently they are sending the A team. Walker is considered the top agent in the CIA. She is an expert at hand to hand combat and small caliber weapons. She is deadly with knives and speaks seven languages. She has been on several missions in the Middle East. She has single handedly destroyed much of our work. Including the fact that she was key in the operation that killed your brother."

"Excellent!" exclaimed Wilson through gritted teeth. "At last, I have vengeance. Make sure she is at the party on Thursday. We'll deal with both of these agents at the same time. I want to take our time with this CIA bitch. I really want her to suffer. I want to listen to her beg us to kill her. Am I understood?"

"Yes, sir," said Jones with a smile. "I'll take care of it, sir."

- - - -

Carina knocked on Scott Wilson's hotel room door at exactly a half hour before the dinner was scheduled.

"Carina," Wilson said with excitement as he opened the door. "Please come in. I've been expecting you."

Carina leaned in to give Wilson a kiss on the cheek. She was surprised when he grabbed her and kissed her passionately. She had no choice but to respond in like kind. She could feel Wilson's hands wandering up and down her body. After a couple of minutes, the kiss finally broke.

"Wow," said Carina with a smile. "That was quite a greeting."

"I've really been looking forward to this." said Wilson.

"I can tell." Carina said with a laugh. "I've really been looking forward to it too."

"I think that talk is cheap." Wilson said with a grin. "Don't you? I'd prefer that you show me. Are you ready to get wild tonight?"

"I'm ready for anything." Carina whispered seductively.

"We'll see." replied Wilson with an evil grin.

- - - -

As soon as Sarah entered the hotel lobby, Jones walked up to her.

"Sarah Anderson?" Jones asked with a smile.

"Yes," Sarah replied with a dazzling smile.

"Hi," said Jones. "My name is Mark Jones. I'm Mr. Wilson's executive assistant. You will be assigned to me for today. Would you come with me please?"

Jones led Sarah to a private conference room just off the lobby.

"Do you know what is expected of you today?" Jones asked.

"I was just told to be friendly." Sarah said with a smile.

"Well," said Jones with a smirk as he stepped up to her. "Let's see how friendly you can be."

Jones kissed Sarah with an open mouth.

"I mean, you are a hooker, right?' he said between kisses. "You should be very friendly. A little second base action perhaps."

During the second kiss Sarah felt his hand slip up her shirt.

In the car, Angel turned to Casey in amazement.

"I'm assuming that we're not going to tell Chuck about this?" she whispered with her mouth hanging open.

"On the contrary," Casey said with a laugh. "I think that he needs to hear this tape. Over and over. Don't you?"

Finally Jones was done testing Sarah.

"Pretty friendly," said Jones with a leer. "I trust that you will come to our pool party on Thursday. Of course, you'll be expected to be even friendlier."

"I'm looking forward to it." Sarah said with a big smile.

"Great," said Jones still leering. "I'll give you a minute to rearrange your clothing. Meet me in the restaurant in ten minutes."

As soon as Jones left the room, Sarah whispered into her bug.

"Casey, I swear. If Chuck ever hears this tape, I will make sure that you suffer. I hope I'm clear."

Casey turned to Angel and smiled.

"Let's rethink this." he said softly.

- - - -

Chuck pulled up to the hotel entrance in the Porsche. As soon as the valet drove the car away, Jones approached him.

"Mr. Carmichael?" Jones said as he extended his hand." "My name is Mark Jones. I'm Mr. Wilson's executive assistant."

"Please call me Charles." Chuck said as he shook Jones's hand.

"Great." said Jones as he led Chuck into the hotel. "I can't tell you how honored we are that you agreed to meet with us, Charles. If there is anything that we can do to make you more comfortable, please don't hesitate to let us know."

"Thanks," said Chuck with a smile. "I will."

Jones led Chuck to a petite blonde woman standing in the lobby.

"Charles," Jones said. "I would like you to meet Heather. Heather will be making sure that you get anything you need to be comfortable."

Inside the car, Angel burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Casey asked.

"I know Heather." said Angel trying to stop laughing. "I can't see Chuck with her. I would give anything to be able to see this. She is to dumb to be able too screw in a light bulb."

"Of course that's the only thing she wouldn't screw." Angel continued with a wry smile. "She seems more like your type to me."

When Casey turned to look at Angel, he couldn't help but return her smile.

Back in the hotel, Jones turned to Heather.

"I'll leave you two for a minute to get acquainted." he said gently. "Please meet us in the restaurant in ten minutes."

"So, Charles," said Heather in a soft sexy voice as she put her arm around Chuck. "What business are you in?"

"We make software." Chuck replied.

"Is that like clothes?" Heather asked. "They're pretty soft."

"Exactly," said Chuck with a confused smile as he shook his head sadly.

Inside the car, Angel was roaring with laughter. After a minute she turned to Casey.

"Is being a cop always this much fun?" she asked.

- - - -

To Chuck it seemed like dinner took five hours. There were six couples at the table. There were Scott Wilson and Carina, Mark Jones and Sarah, Chuck and Heather and three other couples that he didn't know. Not only did he have to listen to Heather whispering unintelligible phases in his ear for the entire meal, he had to watch Sarah do the same with Mark Jones. Even though nothing untoward was happening, he felt jealous that Jones was getting the smile that should have been reserved for him. Carina seemed much more at ease with Scott Wilson, probably since she had already attended several of these dinners. Chuck was having a hard time eating while, at the same time, trying to keep Heather's hand off his leg. It was hard to concentrate on the conversation at the table. Fortunately, it didn't deserve concentration. One thing that Chuck had to admit, Heather wasn't shy. If he wanted it, he had a perfect view down her shirt. Finally, mercifully, the meal was over.

"Well, ladies," said Wilson. "Thank you for a wonderful meal. Gentleman, if you will follow Mr. Jones, we'll get started on the business portion of our event. I'll join you in a few minutes."

Chuck and the other four men followed Jones to a suite. There were several overstuffed chairs. A bartender in the corner was serving drinks.

"Gentleman," Jones said in a friendly tone. "Please have a drink. Mr. Wilson will be down in a couple of minutes and we'll begin."

- - - -

After the dinner broke up, Scott Wilson led Carina back to his hotel room. As soon as they were in the room, he grabbed her and kissed her. Much like earlier, he let his hands roam freely.

"Are you ready to get wild?" Wilson asked with a sly smile.

"Whatever you want." whispered Carina.

"That's what I hoped you would say." said Wilson. "I have to go to a meeting but I'll be back in about an hour. How about when I get back, you are ready for me?"

"Ready?" asked Carina in a confused tone.

"Ready, as in naked." said Wilson as he motioned towards the bed and walked out the door.

As soon as he left the room, he burst out laughing.

"This is so much fun."

- - - -

About the same time that Wilson was leaving the room, Sarah got to the car where Casey and Angel were sitting. As soon as she got in the back seat she asked.

"What's going on?"

"Well," said Casey. "I see that you were successful in bugging Wilson and Jones. The meeting hasn't started yet. But I see that Wilson is going to put Carina through the ringer tonight."

"What's going on here?" asked Sarah to herself. "Jones did the same thing to me."

"They think that you're hookers." Angel said sadly. "That's how men treat hookers. I think you got off easy. I'm surprised that Jones didn't want a quickie. If you're going to pretend that you're a hooker, you need to be prepared to be treated like a piece of meat."

"Yea," said Sarah thoughtfully. "But it was more than that though. You didn't see the look in his eye. He was intentionally pushing the limit. It's almost like he knew I was defenseless."

"What do you think?" asked Casey. "Do you think that your cover is blown?"

"I don't think so." Sarah said slowly. "But something is up. Maybe these guys are just that evil."

"Should we get Carina out of there?" asked Casey in a concerned tone.

"How?" asked Sarah. "The only way to do that would be to barge in there and get her. That would totally blow our cover. I think we'll just have to let it play out."

"What are you going to tell Chuck?" Angel asked softly.

"I'm not sure." said Sarah softly. "Angel, please don't tell him anything. I'll talk to him. I won't lie to him but I don't want to rub his face in it either."

- - - -

"Gentleman," Wilson said in a booming voice as he entered the room. "Thank you all for coming. I trust that you enjoyed dinner."

All of the men either nodded or said yes.

"First off," said Wilson. "Let me tell you how much we appreciate your donations. You have allowed us to do some very good work. We also think that all of you hard working businessmen pay totally too many taxes. Our proposal would allow you to get a huge tax break and help charity at the same time. But, I'll not deny, it's in a grey area in terms of legality. If anyone wants to leave, there will be no hard feelings."

After a few moments no one made a move to leave.

"Excellent." said Wilson. "Here is our proposal. For every dollar that your company donates to our cause, we will return half back to you personally, in cash. The fact that we receive so many cash donations makes it possible for us to do this in an untraceable way."

Several heads in the room began to nod.

"Gentleman." Wilson said. "Just do the math. If your company donates one thousand dollars, the company gets the total write off and you get five hundred dollars in untraceable cash. As you know, if you made that same thousand in profit you would have to pay taxes. We're offering you a way to feel good about donating to charity and also increase your net cash flow. The more that you donate, the bigger your personal reward. It's a total win - win.

Wilson could tell by the smiles around the room that the idea had caught on.

"As an added bonus," Wilson said. "I would like to invite you to our estate on Thursday for a little party. All of the ladies that were here today, and quite a few more, will be there. Trust me, when I say that they will be making sure that you have a good time."

In the car, Angel turned to Casey.

"This can't be legal."

"No way." said Casey with a laugh. "This is a pure scam. No way are they going to give the cash back. If someone complains, they've admitted to committing a felony. And I've got twenty bucks that says that any sex at this party is taped. It would be great blackmail material."

"Did you ever see any cameras?" Sarah asked Angel.

"No," replied Angel. "But the rooms all did have a huge mirror."

"Bingo." said Casey with a smile.

Back in the hotel, Wilson continued.

"Jones here will help you fill out the paperwork." Wilson said with a huge smile. "Thank you for the help. Our cause is just. I'll see you all on Thursday."

As Wilson was done speaking he walked up to Chuck.

"Mr. Carmichael," Wilson said as he led Chuck to a quite spot. "What did you think?"

"The concept is very interesting." Chuck said with a smile. "I know I pay way too much in taxes. It's just .."

"Yes?" said Wilson.

"A thousand dollars isn't that much." Chuck said cautiously. "Do you think you could handle a larger amount?"

"Of course," Wilson said. "A thousand was just an example. What amount did you have in mind?"

"I'm thinking about one million." Chuck said with a grin. "Could you handle that?"

"Now you're talking, my friend." Wilson said slapping Chuck on the back. "I trust I'll see you at the party. You were with Heather, if I remember. Was she satisfactory?"

"Not at all," said Chuck while shaking his head. "Dumb as a box of rocks. I'd rather stay home."

"Were there any of the ladies that you prefer?" Wilson asked. "I want to make sure that a man of your generosity is well taken care of."

"Yes," said Chuck. "I really had my eye on the tall blonde that was with Jones. I don't remember her name but, wow, what a body."

"Ah, yes," said Wilson. "Sarah. I admire a man with taste. I had a feeling that you would like her. She is very hot, don't you think? I actually had some plans for her myself but I am more than happy to postpone them for such a good friend to our cause."

"Great." Chuck said with a laugh. "I'll see you there."

- - - -

As soon as Wilson left the room, he immediately went into another meeting. There were about twenty men gathered. Jackson appeared to be in charge.

"Are we all set?" Wilson asked.

"Yes sir," Jackson said in a snappy voice. "Let me introduce you to the teams that are going to put us into the history books."

"Here is our team for Columbus," he said as he indicated two men.

"And here is L. A.," he said as he indicated two more men.

"And Ann Arbor," he continued down the line. "And Happy Valley, Miami, Gainesville, Tuscaloosa, Auburn, and South Bend."

In the car, Casey furrowed his brow.

"What the hell?" he said. "With the exception of Miami and L.A. those are all small cities. Why would they attack there?"

"Those are all towns with huge universities." said Angel in a whisper.

"Happy Valley?" asked Sarah skeptically. "I've never heard of it."

"That's where Penn State is." replied Angel. "Don't you guys ever watch college football?"

Back in the hotel, Wilson addressed the group.

"Welcome, my brave brothers." he said in a booming voice. "On Thursday you will be treated to a day of merriment. Then you will be given the nerve gas and drive it to your target. On Saturday, we'll attack. Do we have a time planned for the attacks?"

"Yes sir," said Jackson. "With the exception of the Rose Bowl, all of the games either start at one or three eastern time. If we launch our crop duster planes at three, we should hit all of the games in either the first or third quarter. We'll launch the Rose Bowl planes at one Western time. That is one hour later. We're expecting a ninety percent fatality rate.

"Excellent." Wilson shouted. "This will be a day that no one will ever forget. My brothers, I'm so proud of you. I'll see you on Thursday for our day of celebration."

In the car, Casey's face lost all of its color.

"Holy Christ," he whispered. "How many people are at those games?"

"I don't know exactly." said Angel. "But those are all huge stadiums. I'm guessing counting the teams, bands, and other workers there would be over one hundred thousand people at each game."

"Oh my God," Sarah said with a cry. "They were talking about a ninety percent fatality rate. That means they are planning on killing close to a million people."

"On live T.V." Angel whispered.

Sarah quickly called Chuck on his cell.

"Chuck," Sarah said. "You need to meet us at Casey's. We have a big problem."

"Casey, secure," Casey shouted into his cell phone. "General, we have an emergency."

- - - -


	15. Slumber Party

_Warning: There is some adult content in this. Nothing major but please use discretion. Thanks to Natty for the beta and for not killing me (you'll see). I'm getting sort of tired of saying that I still don't own Chuck. But I still don't._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It's the only reward that we get for putting ourselves out there. I really appreciate the support that you've given me. It really helps._

_**Slumber Party**_

- - - -

Chuck was waiting standing outside the car at Casey's when Casey and Angel pulled up. Sarah was right behind them. The car had barely stopped moving before Sarah jumped out. She raced to where Chuck was standing and threw her arms around him.

"I'm so proud of you." Sarah whispered as she held Chuck tightly. "You were brilliant today. A million dollars? Once they heard that, we could have marched in there in full dress uniform and they wouldn't have noticed."

"Thanks," said Chuck with a huge grin as he returned her embrace. "Of course, now we have to find the million dollars."

Angel looked at Chuck and Sarah in their embrace and sadly turned away. Casey noticed the look in Angel's eyes right away.

"Come on, Angel." he said gently as he grabbed her arm and led her into the house. "Let's give them a minute. I'll fix you a drink."

"So how did your dinner go with that Jones guy?" Chuck asked softly. "I could see your hands most of the time but I couldn't see his. Was he busy?"

"A little," Sarah said with a sigh. "But the real problem was before dinner."

"What happened before dinner?" Chuck asked more insistently.

"Chuck, I promise that I'll tell you every detail tonight." Sarah said softly. "Don't worry. It wasn't that bad. He put his hand up my shirt for a minute. That's all."

"That's all?" Chuck asked sarcastically.

"Don't worry babe," Sarah said with a smile. "He'll be dead soon. Tonight, I'll make you forget all about it, ok?"

"Ok," said Chuck with a grin. "But I'm warning you. It's really going to take some work to make me forget. I have a real good memory. It's my specialty, remember?"

"Babe," said Sarah with a giggle. "Trust me. After I'm done tonight you're not going to remember your own name. I'm not sure what we're going to tell Washington. They'll just have to live without that intersect thing."

"Can't we go now?" Chuck whispered lustily.

"Sorry babe," Sarah said. "We have to get in there. We have a crisis."

As soon as Sarah and Chuck walked into the house, Casey turned to them

"We're conferencing with Washington in eighteen minutes." he said, looking at his watch. "They are really freaked out."

"What's going on?" said Chuck in a confused tone.

"After you left, we listened to Wilson and Jones on the bugs that Sarah planted." Casey said stoically. "They are planning on attacking nine different college football games on Saturday with nerve gas."

"How would they do that?" Chuck asked.

"We're not sure." Sarah said with a sigh. "They said something about crop duster planes."

"They talked about a ninety percent fatality rate." said Casey dismissively. "I don't know how they could figure that. It seems pretty unreasonable to me."

"I assume that they are using Sarin." Angel said softly as she sipped her drink while looking at the floor. "That is the easiest nerve gas to make and transport. It is liquid at room temperature but is fairly easy to vaporize. My guess is that they will use the crop duster planes to spray the Sarin on the top of the stadiums"

Chuck, Sarah, and Casey just looked at Angel in amazement. They were far too stunned to speak. Finally, Sarah spoke.

"Angel," she whispered. "How do you know all of that?"

"Come on," Angel replied with a sad smile. "I wasn't born a hooker, you know. I have a degree from UCLA."

"But how would that work?" Sarah asked. "A crop duster plane couldn't hit everyone in a big stadium. Could they?'"

"They wouldn't have to." Angel replied while finally meeting Sarah's eye. "Since Sarin is heavier than air and all of those stadiums are shaped like big bowls, the gas will naturally work it's way from the top to the floor. I think that ninety percent might be conservative. Everyone in those stadiums will be trapped."

"So," said Casey. "How does Sarin work?"

"Sarin is a nerve agent." Angel said slowly. "If you breathe it, you die. Not only that, it is a horrible way to go. The first phase is uncontrolled vomiting. Then your body won't respond to your brain's commands to breath. And if these attacks are successful, then a million people will die on live T.V. The country may never recover from the shock."

"So," said Chuck in shock. "You're some kind of chemical engineer?"

"Oh hell no," said Angel with a dismissive laugh. "Chemistry is way too hard. My major is in Physics. I'm only sixteen hours away from my Master's."

"So, why are you a hooker?" Chuck said, more to himself than Angel.

"Come on, Chuck." Angel said sadly. "Physicists make good salaries but not enough to supply a coke habit."

"Ok folks," Casey said loudly. "We're about to go online. Angel, I'll introduce you. They may ask you to leave. Please don't be offended."

Angel just smiled.

"What's your last name?" asked Casey. "I guess I've never heard it."

"Lopez," both Angel and Chuck said at the same time.

Just then the monitor came to life and Beckman and Graham appeared. Again, they were not in the same room and on split screens.

"Ok folks," said Beckman. "This is as serious as it gets. It goes without saying that we cannot let these attacks occur. Casey, who has joined us?"

"Ma'am,' said Casey. "This is Angel Lopez. She has been very helpful in getting us as far as we have."

"Miss Lopez," said Beckman. "We appreciate you cooperation. I hope that you understand how serious this situation is. I'm simply not prepared to take any risks here. I'm afraid we'll have to take you into custody until this crises is over."

"What?" Angel cried. "I don't want to go to jail. Isn't there something else we can do?"

"I'm sorry, Miss Lopez," said Beckman. "But…"

"Excuse me, ma'am," Sarah interrupted. "Couldn't she stay in my and Casey's custody? She could spend the night with Chuck and me. She could join Casey in monitoring the party. She really has been quite helpful."

"Major," Beckman said tersely. "What is your opinion?"

"She really has been valuable, ma'am," said Casey. "She knows the names of the players and really helps me understand what is going on."

"Very well," said Beckman with a sigh. "I don't want her out of sight of one of the three of you. Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," said Sarah. "Thank you ma'am."

"Now," said Beckman. "We'll have Carina, Chuck, and Sarah at that party. We need to find out where the nerve gas is. I'll have a thousand agents surrounding that property but it won't do us any good to move in until we've located it. That has to be your top priority. By any means necessary. Am I understood?

"Yes, ma'am," Casey and Sarah said together.

"Chuck," said Beckman firmly. "I want to be clear. This is too vital. A million lives are at stake. I understand how you feel but Sarah needs to use any means necessary? Am I understood?"

"Yes ma'am," Chuck said sadly. "I understand."

"Good," said Beckman. "Well, you have your orders. Good luck people. A million lives are depending on you. Dismissed."

As soon as the screen went blank, Angel stepped up to Chuck.

"What was she saying to you about any means necessary?" she asked him softly.

"She was saying that Sarah might have to use sex." Chuck said sadly.

"Don't worry, babe," Sarah said gently. "I don't anticipate anything like that happening. Wilson already promised me to you. You know that I will do anything I can to avoid that."

"I know," Chuck said sadly.

"Why don't we take Angel home and help her pack a bag?" Sarah said with a smile.

"Ok," Chuck said with a nod. "Can we stop by and introduce Angel to Ellie?"

"Angel," Sarah said with a grin as she nodded to Chuck. "We just have the couch. Unless, of course, we're really looking to cheer Chuck up."

"The couch will be fine." Angel said as they shared a laugh.

"Are you feeling a little better?" Sarah asked Chuck.

"I guess," said Chuck as a smile started to form. "I just really hate this job sometimes. Here we have Carina getting plowed by lord knows how many terrorists, my wife getting felt up by some slime ball, and now hearing she may have to sleep with half of the future population of Gitmo."

"I know." said Sarah softly.

"By the way," Chuck said to Angel with a stern look. "I don't think we can be friends anymore."

"Why?" asked Angel as the color left her face.

"I went to Stanford." Chuck said with a grin. "I can't be friends with someone who went to UCLA. It isn't done."

"I get it." Angel said with a smirk. "I know what they think at Stanford but not everyone from UCLA is a drug addict and a hooker. I'm actually an exception."

"We don't think that." Chuck said with a laugh. "We think they're just plain stupid."

"Speaking of stupid," Angel said with a grin. "How did you like Heather? I heard that she went to Stanford."

"On an academic scholarship."

- - - -

Chuck and Angel followed Sarah back to their place in the Porsche. Then they all took Carina's car to Angel's to let her pack. Chuck waited in the car to make sure nobody stole it while Sarah went in to help Angel.

"Don't worry about packing too much stuff." Sarah said. "It's only going to be one night."

"Thanks for keeping me out of jail." Angel said with a smile.

"No problem," said Sarah. "It wasn't going to really be jail, by the way. More like a detention facility. It's basically a hotel with a guard."

"Thank you anyway." said Angel as she gave Sarah a hug. "I don't know what a detention facility looks like and I sure as hell don't want to find out."

Sarah and Angel held their embrace for a long moment without speaking. Finally Angel spoke.

"I'm so sorry." she whispered.

"For what?" Sarah replied as she backed a little to be able to look into Angel's eye.

"For being jealous," Angel said while looking at the floor. "I'm trying so hard to not like you. But I do. I can't help it."

"I understand." Sarah said softly with a smile. "I do. There was a time, not too long ago, where I didn't like you. When you were dancing on Chuck's lap at the club, I'm pretty sure that I could have thrown a knife in your eye. But now I do like you. Don't get me wrong. I'm not sharing Chuck. But I do appreciate what you mean to him. Right now, I guess that it's enough that we tolerate each other. I'm hoping that someday we can truly be friends."

"Me too," whispered Angel. "You don't know how lucky you are."

"Sure," Sarah said insistently with a grin. "Of course I do. Speaking of lucky, Chuck is going to be tonight. I have to cheer him up after the Mark Jones thing. So I would pack your iPod if I was you."

- - - -

Angel was sitting on Chuck and Sarah's couch getting ready for bed. She was listening to her mellow play list on her iPod. Since her eyes were only half open she was surprised when Chuck opened the bedroom door and came into the room. He closed the bedroom door softly behind him and sat next to her on the couch.

"Where's Sarah?" Angel asked with a smile as she took off her headphones.

"She's sleeping." Chuck said softly. "I just came to check on you."

"I'm fine," said Angel. "Thanks,"

"Ok," whispered Chuck. "Then goodnight."

Angel was a little surprised when Chuck kissed her goodnight. But she didn't think too much of it. When he pulled back from the kiss she could see the longing in his eyes. There could be no mistaking what he was asking her. It made her knees weak. She felt like she could get lost forever in those brown eyes. Then Chuck leaned in and kissed her again. It was the gentlest thing she had ever felt in her life. Suddenly she felt Chuck's hand reach behind her head and pull her into a more urgent kiss. It was the most intense pleasure she had ever experienced. As Chuck opened his mouth and his tongue entered her lips, she really had no choice but to respond.

"I can't help it." he whispered as he broke the kiss for an instant. "I love you."

Now the gentleness was replaced by a wild passion. Their tongues danced as they kissed again and again. Chuck's eyes asked the question as he lifted the hem of her shirt. Angel simply nodded and lifted her arms to allow Chuck to pull it over her head. As he returned to the passionate kisses she could feel Chuck remove her pajama bottoms. She lifted her hips to allow him to take them off without breaking the kiss. Chuck's hands were roaming freely over Angel's body. The sensations were paralyzing. Angel could do nothing but sit there and continue kissing him. Then Chuck pushed her onto her back on the couch. Angel was in heaven as Chuck's bare chest lay against hers. She kissed him with every fiber, trying to tell him how much she loved him using her lips and mouth. Chuck broke the kiss and moved to Angel's neck, alternating between kissing and gently biting.

"I love you, Chuck." Angel moaned as she lay helpless, her body unable to do anything except lay there and accept Chuck's passion. As Chuck moved down Angel's body, kissing as he went, Angel felt tremors of passion consume her body.

"I love you, Chuck." she whispered as he reached her stomach. Angel needed him now.

"Please," she whispered. "Do it now. I love you, Chuck."

Suddenly Angel awakened to find herself sitting on the couch. Her headphones must have fallen off when she fell asleep. As the tears streamed down her face, she could hear Chuck and Sarah through the bedroom door.

"I never thought it could get any better. I love you, Chuck."

"I love you too, Sarah."

- - - -


	16. The Party

_Warning: There is some adult content in this. Nothing major but please use discretion. I'm getting sort of tired of saying that I still don't own Chuck. But I still don't._

_This chapter was absolutely not the result of any fighting on the boards. If it is boring, that's why. If you're interested in Chuck and lively debate, join us on the forum. There's usually one or the other going on. Sometimes both. _

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It's the only reward that we get for putting ourselves out there. I really appreciate the support that you've given me. It really helps._

_**The Party**_

- - - -

Director Graham was busy reading the morning's Middle East briefing when the phone rang on his desk. He could tell that it was his secretary from the ring tone. He had told her more than once how he hated being interrupted when he was trying to concentrate.

"What is it?" he answered briskly.

"General Beckman is on line one, sir." she replied in a business like tone.

"Tell her I'll call her back." Graham growled.

"She says it's urgent, sir."

"Fine," Graham said with a disgusted sigh as he punched the button on the phone.

"General," he said sarcastically. "What an unexpected pleasure."

"Trust me," said Beckman caustically. "It's not the highlight of my day either. But we have a situation. We just got a call from the DoD. It seems that they just arrested a mole in their personnel department. In the process of their investigation, when they checked the records, several of the calls that he made was to the hotel where the intersect team was undercover yesterday with the Scott Wilson terrorist group."

"So," replied Graham, his interest now peaked. "Do you think that their cover is blown?"

"They are interrogating him now." Beckman said briskly. "So far, he's not talking but I think it would be a safe assumption."

"What about the intersect?" Graham said breathlessly.

"I would assume that they wouldn't know about Chuck." Beckman replied in a surprised tone.

"That's true." agreed Graham. "He's not on the payroll, is he? The mole would have no record of him."

"What should we do?" Beckman said. "We have to tell Sarah."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Graham said thoughtfully. "We only have one shot at these guys. If they find out that we know our cover is blown, they may shut down. Then we'll lose touch. Right now, they think they have an advantage. They know that we're tracking them and with who. I'm guessing that they'll try and press that advantage. Maybe they'll make a mistake."

"Arthur," Beckman said firmly. "Sarah deserves to know the situation that she is walking into. How can we expect her to deal with the situation if she doesn't know the facts?"

"General Beckman," Graham said tersely. "She can't tip them off if she doesn't know. Surprise is our friend in this case. We're talking about a million lives here. One agent is expendable."

"I totally disagree." Beckman said hotly. "What about the intersect? What's going to happen to him emotionally after something happens to Sarah?"

"And that's exactly why we should have never let this relationship happen in the first place." Graham shot back. "Need I remind you, I was against this from the start? Perhaps it's better to get this over with sooner rather than later when he really gets attached to her."

"Need I remind you," Beckman said angrily. "That you are a heartless son of a bitch."

"Be that as it may," said Graham firmly. "Sarah is a CIA agent. Carina is on loan to the CIA. They are my responsibility. This is my call, not yours."

"Fine," Beckman said through gritted teeth as she hung up the phone.

- - - -

Carina was in the hotel room putting on her bikini. Scott Wilson was watching her with an obvious leer.

"Well," said Carina with a wry smile. "You're actually going to let me wear some clothes?"

"Don't get too used to it." Wilson said with a laugh. "You are sure to be the hit of the party."

"Thanks," said Carina with a grin.

"There will be a very important man there today." Wilson said. "I want you to pay special attention to him. His name is Charles Carmichael and we want to give him whatever he wants."

"Sure," Carina replied softly. "I remember him. He was with Heather, right?"

"That's right." Wilson said with a grin. "But he has his eye on that Sarah. I'm thinking that you and her may want to have a little fight over him. Or maybe even join forces. I want him leaving that party very happy. Am I being clear?"

"Of course," said Carina with a smile. "Don't worry. When we're done with him, he won't be able to get the smile off his face for a month."

"Great," said Wilson. "But on second thought, I may want to keep you all to myself."

"I've been naked here with you for the past twenty hours." Carina said softly. "You mean you have something left?"

Wilson pulled her onto his lap and untied the bikini top that Carina had just put on.

"You shouldn't challenge me." he whispered. "Let's try something different."

- - - -

Chuck pulled the Porsche up to the address that he was given. Casey had already supplied him with a wire. He also had two guns. One was strapped to each leg. Hopefully he would be able to slip them to Sarah and Carina if need be. As soon as he approached the gate, it opened. A valet was waiting to take the Porsche. As soon as he drove away, Scott Wilson approached Chuck.

"Charles," Wilson said with a smile as he extended his hand. "Welcome to our little party."

"Thanks," said Chuck as he shook Wilson's hand.

Chuck took a moment to look around. Angel was right; the scene was directly out of lifestyles of the rich and famous. The estate was dominated by a huge, almost Olympic sized pool. Various sizes and shapes of pool furniture surrounded the pool. Chuck could see what must have been about thirty men either swimming or relaxing around the pool. A couple of the men, he recognized from the dinner but most he had never seen before. In one corner of the property a full bar was set up with a tender serving drinks. Next to the bar was an awning with a buffet. Chuck could see the outline of a server carving a roasted prime rib. On the opposite side of the bar was another awning where a DJ was playing music. A huge privacy fence shielded by shrubbery gave the impression that the property was totally isolated from the rest of the world. A garden terrace led to a huge mansion. Chuck guessed that it must have, at least thirty rooms.

"I just want to make sure that you understand how grateful we are for your generosity." Wilson said. "Anything that you want today, don't hesitate to ask."

"Ok," said Chuck with a grin. "Let's get the business over with. I've asked my executive assistant to process your check. You should have it tomorrow."

"For the same amount that we talked about?" Wilson said expectantly.

"Of course," replied Chuck with a laugh. "But enough about business. Where is this Sarah chick anyway? I don't mind admitting, she's all I have been thinking about. It will well be worth a million. If I have the time today that I'm hoping to, I might be able to be talked out of another million. I assume that would be ok with you?"

"The ladies should be joining us shortly." said Wilson with his eyes beaming. "Until then, perhaps Carina here can keep you company."

Chuck looked from head to toe at Carina standing there in her bikini like a starving man would look at a t-bone steak. His smile gave away his approval.

Wilson motioned with his eyes toward Carina and indicated that she should join Chuck. Carina picked up on his meaning right away. She stepped up to Chuck and put her head on his shoulder.

"Charles," Carina said in a soft sexy voice. "Let's take a walk. Would you like something to drink?"

As they walked towards the bar that was set up on the opposite side of the pool, Carina kept her head on Chuck shoulder. As soon as they were out of earshot, Carina spoke softly into Chuck's chest."

"I hope you know more than I do." she said disgustedly. "This has been a total fucking waste of time. And I mean that quite literally."

"We do." Chuck whispered into Carina's ear. "They are planning on attacking a bunch of college football games with nerve gas. If they are successful, they'll kill a million people. As soon as we find out the location of the nerve gas, we are going to rush the place with a thousand agents. Our orders are to find the nerve gas by any means necessary. "

"Do you have my gun?" Carina asked with her head still on Chuck's chest.

"Yes, replied Chuck. "It's strapped to my leg."

After the bartender had served them their drinks, Carina led Chuck away by the hand to some beach chairs. She indicated that Chuck should sit on a lounge chair. When he did, Carina sat on his lap and put her arms around his neck.

"As soon as Sarah gets here," Carina whispered while still keeping the smile on her face. "Ask Wilson for both of us. We'll go inside and see if we can do a little recon. Stay close."

"Ok." said Chuck with a sigh. "But he is going to think I'm a pervert."

"From the way he saw you checking me out; I think he already has the general idea." Carina whispered with a soft laugh. "If I didn't know better, I'd say that Sarah has something to worry about. You almost had me blushing."

"I had to sell it." Chuck replied with a grin. "With that bikini, it really wasn't that hard. Now I just have to keep it up."

"Trust me, he's dying to make you happy." Carina said softly. "Now it's time to really sell it. Kiss me and go to second base."

"Is that really necessary?" Chuck said with a whine.

"It is absolutely necessary." Carina whispered with a grin. "I'll give you a choice. You can either do it now. Or you can wait until Sarah gets here to watch."

- - - -

As soon as Sarah pulled into the hotel parking lot she could see the bus waiting. Inside were about two dozen ladies with more walking up. When she walked up to the bus, Mark Jones was waiting for her.

"Sarah," Jones said with a leer. "I'm glad you're here. I trust you brought your bathing suit?"

Sarah didn't answer. Instead she smiled and pulled up her shirt to show Jones her bikini top.

"Great,' said Jones as he led Sarah onto the bus and sat beside her. "We have a bit of a situation. It seems that one of the gentlemen today has taken a fancy to you. He is incredibly important to us. We want to make sure that he is very well taken care of. Do you understand?"

"Of course," replied Sarah with a smile. "That's always nice to hear. What is his name?"

"His name is Charles Carmichael." Jones said. "He has to leave that party today happy. If he asks you to bark like a dog, that's what you'll do. Am I understood?"

"Arf," Sarah barked with a grin. "He'll never forget today as long as he lives."

As the bus pulled through the gate, it had the full attention of every man at the party. When the ladies started to file out, all in their bikinis, a roar went up. At that point, Carina got up off Chuck's lap.

"Well, Charles," Carina said with a smile. "I'll talk to you again in a few minutes."

After taking a couple of steps she suddenly turned around and walked back up to Chuck.

"Oh, by the way," she said softly as she leaned into Chuck's chest. "I really missed you last night, Casey."

Jones led Sarah to where Chuck was sitting.

"Mr. Carmichael," he said. "I would like you to meet Sarah Anderson. Sarah was just telling me how much she admires software development. Sarah, Mr. Carmichael owns a software company."

"Really," Sarah asked with her patented smile. "Mr. Carmichael, that's so exciting."

"I'll leave you two to get better acquainted." Jones said as he began to walk away.

"Please," said Chuck. "Call me Charles. So, you like software."

"Absolutely, Charles," Sarah said with a definite twinkle in her eye as she sat on Chuck's lap.

"I love soft clothes."

- - - -

Casey and Angel were sitting in the car a few blocks away from the mansion. Angel was visibly agitated. She kept folding and unfolding her arms nervously. After the third loud sigh, Casey turned to her.

"Damn, Angel," he said with a short laugh. "What is the matter with you?"

"How can you stay so calm?" Angel said excitedly. "This is dangerous. What if something happens?"

"Relax," Casey said with a laugh. "It's going to be fine. It always is. Now settle down before I tape your hands together and put you in the trunk."

"I'll try." said Angel as she let out a huge sigh.

After Casey took a few seconds to study Angel he let out a sigh of his own.

"It's not going to happen, you know?" Casey said softly as he looked straight ahead.

"What do you mean?" Angel said curiously. "What's not going to happen?"

"You and Chuck," Casey responded. "I know that you think that you're in love with him. But he's most definitely taken."

"Is it that obvious?" Angel whispered while looking down at the floor.

"Yes, Angel," replied Casey with a soft laugh. "It is that obvious. Here is a little friendly advice. I've never known of anyone who loves someone as much as Sarah loves Chuck. It's actually kind of creepy. Sarah might not be the worst person in the world to make your enemy, but she's in the top five."

"Does she hate me?" Angel asked quietly while looking out the window.

"No," replied Casey. "I think that she is willing to cut you some slack up to a point. But I would careful to not push her too far. You'll never know what hit you."

"Ok, thanks," said Angel sadly with a sigh as she rested her forehead against the car window.

As Angel looked out the window, she saw the bus with the ladies for the party pass.

"Can I ask you a question?" Casey said. Without waiting for a response, he continued.

"I don't get it. What is it about Bartowski that makes all of these fantastic women that are totally out of his league fall for him? He's annoying as hell. He's not rich. He might not be butt ugly, but he certainly isn't hot. You've known him for a total of two weeks and you look at him like you're ready to bear his children. What is it?"

"Why would you say that I'm out of his league?" Angel said as she looked at Casey in surprise. "I'm not out of anybody's league. I'm a cocaine addict. I've been a hooker for the past three years."

"Come on Angel," Casey said firmly. "That's not who you are. That's just the circumstance you find yourself in. You're going to fix that, right?"

"I hope so." Angel whispered. "I'm not sure I can explain about Chuck."

"Is it because he's the first man in years to not treat you like a piece of meat?" Casey asked softly.

"Maybe," Angel replied softly. "That might be part of it but there's just something about him…"

Angel turned back to the window and finished her thought only to herself as tears filled her eyes and started to drift down her cheeks.

"I am ready to bear his children."

- - - -


	17. Trapped

_Warning: There is some adult content in this. Nothing major but please use discretion. I'm getting sort of tired of saying that I still don't own Chuck. But I still don't._

_If you're a Chuck fan (and why else would you be reading this), please join our conversation on the forum at this site._

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_**Trapped**_

- - - -

Sarah was obviously having a good time at Chuck's expense. Knowing full well his strong aversion to any sort of public displays of affection, she sat on his lap and gave him the full Sarah treatment. She put her arms around Chuck's neck as she kissed him repeatedly. Soft short kisses that never quite landed on his lips. The smile on her face became mesmerizing to him as she continued her treatment. Sarah intentionally rubbed her chest against Chuck's as her kisses worked their way up and down his neck. Finally, when the tension became too much, she pushed her lips against his and kissed him passionately. She could feel his response as her tongue slipped past Chuck's lips. After they had continued the kiss for a long moment she could feel Chuck's hand on her breast, hesitantly at first, but then more firmly.

"Wow," whispered Sarah with a smile as she briefly broke the kiss. "I guess you're over being shy, huh?"

"We have to sell it, right?" Chuck said softly. "You know that you have to take me in the house now. Don't you?"

"I'm sorry babe," whispered Sarah with a smile. "You know we can't really do anything. This is just for show. We need to get in the house so I can look around."

"What," exclaimed Chuck softly with a pained expression? "That's just evil. Why would you do that to me?"

"Sorry babe," whispered Sarah. "I'll make it up to you tonight. Besides if we did do anything it would probably end up on the internet. Who needs that?"

"One good thing," Chuck said under his breath with a laugh. "No one would be looking at me. That's for sure. Don't you want to be famous? Look at what it did for Paris Hilton."

"Who says I'm not already famous?" Sarah said with a wicked smile.

"Babe, trust me," said Chuck with his own wicked smile. "If there was any footage of you on the internet, Jeff would have shown it to me before you left the Buy More the first time you were there."

Sarah was forced to agree. "That's true." she sighed.

"I almost forgot," Chuck said with a smile. "I have to find Scott Wilson. Carina said that I should ask for both of you."

Sarah just smiled.

"At the same time," Chuck said as he arched his eyebrows suggestively.

Sarah couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Together." Chuck whispered seductively.

"Come on," Sarah said laughing as she pulled Chuck towards the house.

"You just won't let that fantasy go, will you?"

- - - -

Angel and Casey were in the car monitoring Chuck's conversation when Casey's phone rang. A quick check of the ID told him it was Beckman.

"Casey, secure," he answered briskly.

"Major," said Beckman softly. "This call is off the record. Do we understand each other?"

"Yes, ma'am," Casey said softly as he tensed up in his seat anticipating whatever it was that Beckman was going to tell him.

"There was a mole in the DoD personnel department." Beckman said. "Sarah and Carina's cover is blown. Graham refused to tell Sarah so that she couldn't tip them off that we knew. I just … I just thought you should know."

"Thank you, ma'am," Casey said with gritted teeth.

"We don't think they know about Chuck." Beckman said softly.

"Yes, ma'am,"

"This call never happened." Beckman said as she ended the call.

"Shit," Casey yelled as he hit the steering wheel in frustration.

"What's wrong?" Angel immediately asked with her eyes fearing the worst.

"Their cover is blown.

"What does that mean?" Angel asked with her eyes wide with fear. "Is Chuck in trouble?"

"We don't think that they know about Chuck." Casey said shaking his head in shock. "But Carina and Sarah are in big trouble. They don't know. They are sitting ducks. We have no way of telling them."

"Let me go in there." Angel said softly. "I can let them know."

"No way," Casey said firmly. "We're in enough trouble. We don't need any more."

"Please, Casey," Angel pleaded. "If anything happened to Chuck and I could have helped, I couldn't live with myself."

"No way," said Casey. "You're not trained. How do you think that you could get in there anyway?"

"I could get in there easy." Angel said excitedly. "I have my bikini on under my clothes. I've been to a few of these things. They know me. I'll just say I was late and missed the bus."

"I don't know," Casey said hesitantly. "You have no training."

"Please, Casey," Angel pleaded softly. "I'll just go in there, find them, tell them that their cover is blown, and then I'll sit by the pool until it's over."

"Angel,' Casey said in a firm tone. "Look at me. If you go in there, you're risking your life. I won't be able to help you. Do you understand?"

"Yes," said Angel as she nodded with tears in her eyes. "I just can't sit here and listen to them being killed."

"Shit," Casey muttered after a long minute. "They are heading in the house. Go in, tell the first one that you see that their cover is blown, then find a safe spot and stay put. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Casey," Angel said calmly with a nod. "I understand."

- - - -

Chuck walked into the mansion with Sarah and Carina on either arm.

"Stay in character until we've checked the room for bugs." Sarah whispered to Chuck as they walked.

Once they were inside, a guard led them down a hall on the main floor. There were several doors on either side of the hall. The guard stopped at the third door on the left and opened the door.

"Enjoy your afternoon, sir," the guard said as he let them into the room and closed the door behind them."

The room was a well apportioned bedroom. In the middle of the room was a king sized bed. On the ceiling was a full mirror. On one wall was a bar, big screen television and stereo sound system.

As soon as the door closed, Carina found the video camera that was hidden behind the mirror and turned it off while Sarah went to the sound system and played some music fairly loudly.

"Hey," said Chuck with a grin as he grabbed Sarah. "The camera's off. We don't have to worry about the internet. What do you say?"

"And what is poor Carina supposed to do?" asked Sarah as she attempted to gently pull out of Chuck's embrace.

"Hey," said Carina with an evil grin. "I don't mind. Really. Maybe I can pick up a pointer or two."

"What do the words 'you're not helping' mean to you?" Sarah asked Carina with a sigh.

"You want me to help?" Carina replied with a pretend straight face. "I just thought you wanted me to watch."

Sarah flashed Carina the look that told her to shut up. So Carina did the smart thing and shut up.

"Carina and I are going to poke around and see what we can find." Sarah said as she put her arms around Chuck. "Please, Chuck, please stay in the room."

Chuck smiled at her.

"I know that we ask you to stay places a lot." Sarah said softly. "And you hardly ever do. So please, we need to know where our weapons are going to be. It's important. Ok?"

"Be careful." Chuck whispered as she kissed Sarah gently.

"Sorry, babe," Sarah whispered back as she pressed her open mouth to Chuck's. After a minute of passionate kissing she finally broke away.

"We don't know how to be careful."

- - - -

Scott Wilson and Mark Jones were sitting at a table by the side of the pool. A large umbrella shaded the men. They each had a tall drink that they were nursing.

"I wonder how our new friend is doing with those two agents." Jones said with a laugh. "One thing for sure, you have to admire his taste. That blonde is the hottest thing I've ever seen."

"Carina isn't bad herself." Wilson said with a leer. "Trust me. But Carmichael has already given us one million and promises another million. For that kind of money, he can have every girl here if he wants."

"Something is telling me," said Jones with a smirk. "That in about two minutes, he'll need to take a break."

As they were sitting there, Wilson's phone rang.

"Yes," he answered.

"Sir," said the voice on the phone. "This is Raul from the front gate. We have an Angel Lopez here. She says that she missed the bus. What should I do?"

"What do we have on Angel Lopez?" Wilson asked Jones.

"She's clean." Jones replied as he checked his Blackberry. "She has been with the agency for almost three years."

"I remember her." Wilson said to himself with a smile. "She is very attractive. She was a regular and then she got sick."

"Invite Miss Lopez in by all means." said Wilson into his phone. "Ask her to come find me. I'm sitting by the pool."

Wilson responded to Jones's questioning look.

"This is perfect." Wilson said with a huge smile. "After I take her for a spin, she would be the perfect one to keep Carmichael company while we deal with our agent friends."

Jones smiled and nodded.

"Are we ready?" Wilson asked.

"Yes, sir," said Jones. "The teams are getting assembled in the basement in five minutes. We'll send them off and then we'll deal with the agents."

- - - -

Sarah and Carina quietly walked down the hall. At the end of the hall was a stairway leading down to the basement. They could hear noises coming from the basement but the words were too faint to make out. Carina looked at Sarah to decide what to do. Sarah motioned with her head for then to go down the stairs. Once they were in the basement they could see that there was a hallway with doors on either side. At the end of the hallway there was what appeared to be a conference room. They could hear that all of the commotion was coming from the conference room. Sarah motioned for Carina to follow her and they quietly made their way along the wall until they reached the door just before the conference room. Sarah carefully tried the door and it was unlocked. She slowly opened the door and found that the room was empty. It looked like a small janitor's closet. Sarah grabbed Carina by the arm and they entered the room. Sarah closed the door until it was open only enough to hear what was being said.

"My brothers," Jackson said loudly. "In a few minutes Mr. Wilson will come and wish you good fortune. After that, you will board the bus and go to the airport for your flight to Atlanta. A bus will be waiting to take you to the Bakersfield warehouse. At that point you will each be given a van with the canisters of Sarin. You will drive to your attack position and wait for the appointed hour. Are there any questions?"

- - - -

Angel walked up to where Wilson and Jones were sitting.

"Mr. Wilson," Angel said with her most dazzling smile as she extended her hand. "How lovely it is to see you again. I'm so sorry that I was late. Please forgive me."

"Don't be silly." Wilson said as he kissed Angel's hand. "I trust that you are feeling better?"

"Much better, Mr. Wilson," said Angel while keeping her smile. "Aren't you so sweet for asking? I had a case of bronchitis that just wouldn't go away."

"Please," said Wilson. "Call me Scott. I'm so happy that you're feeling better."

"Yes, Scott," said Angel flirtatiously. "I am. As a matter of fact, I would love for you to experience for yourself just how good I feel."

"I think I just may take you up on that." Wilson said as she got up from his chair and extended his hand. Wilson led Angel into the mansion and down the same hallway that Chuck, Sarah, and Carina had previously been down. He opened the last door on the right and led Angel inside. It was a bedroom exactly furnished like the one that Chuck was in.

"I'm so sorry." Wilson said. "But I have some business downstairs to attend to. Would you please wait here for me? I'll be back in about twenty minutes."

"Of course," Angel replied with her sexy smile. As she stepped up to Wilson and kissed him, she took his hand and placed it on her breast. "What do you think, Scott?" Angel whispered. "Am I feeling better?"

- - - -

About a minute after Wilson left the room, Angel was trying to decide what to do. Staying where she was and just waiting for Wilson to return seemed pointless. Whatever was happening with Sarah and Carina was probably happening where Wilson was, she reasoned. She figured that if she was discovered she could sweet talk her way out of by saying that she misunderstood Wilson and thought that she was supposed to be looking for him. As she opened the door and walked towards the stairs she whispered quietly to herself.

"This is a very bad idea."

Once Angel got to the bottom of the stairs she could hear Wilson speaking loudly. From the words she was hearing she could tell there was no way to sweet talk herself out of this. She couldn't be discovered. In a panic she tried the first door that she came to. When it opened, Angel found herself in what was obviously a lab. Looking for somewhere to hide she quickly found a closet that was hidden behind some racks of materials. As she knelt in the closet she bumped up against some metal canisters. One of the canisters had a piece of masking tape with a hand written label. "Wholly shit," she whispered as she turned to the side of the canister to be able to read the single word that was written there.

Sarin

When Sarah heard Scott Wilson walking down the hall she quietly closed the door. Once she could tell that he had passed, she opened the door a crack again.

"My brothers," Wilson said in a booming voice. "Our time to make history has come. The imperialist pigs and their illegitimate Zionist swine partners have, for the past seventy five years, invaded our homeland. They have killed our children, raped our women and stolen our valuable resources. Today, we have a glorious opportunity for vengeance. Today we have an opportunity for revenge. Today we have an opportunity to deal a blow for our families that they will never recover from. I trust that you, my brothers, will not let us down in our quest. Our cause is just."

At that the men cheered loudly. As the meeting broke up, Sarah closed the door. After a few minutes the quietness told her that everyone had left. She opened the door a crack to look outside. Suddenly, the door was pulled open and Sarah and Carina were looking at four men with assault rifles aimed at them. As they placed their hands on top on their heads, Scott Wilson stepped up with an evil smile.

"Agent Walker, Agent Hansen, how nice of you to join us. We've been expecting you."

- - - -


	18. Hell's Angel

_Warning: There is some adult content in this. Nothing major but please use discretion. That's to Natty for the beta. I'm getting sort of tired of saying that I still don't own Chuck. But I still don't._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It's the only reward that we get for putting ourselves out there. I really appreciate the support that you've given me. It really helps._

_Ok, one more chapter and maybe an epilog._

_**Hell's Angel**_

- - - -

Angel listened carefully for sounds that the meeting had broken up and it was safe to leave. More accurately, she was listening for the silence that indicated that it was safe to leave. She was just about ready to come out of her hiding place when the door of the room she was in flew open. From her vantage point where she was hidden she could see most of the room. Suddenly she saw Sarah and Carina being pushed violently into the room. Angel watched in horror as their hands were bound behind their backs and then each tied to a wooden chair. Their legs were securely fastened to the legs of the chair. Once they were secured, Scott Wilson stepped up to Sarah.

"Agent Walker," Wilson said with the rage evident in his voice. "I can't tell you how much I've been looking forward to this."

With that he took his right hand and backhanded Sarah across the face with all of his might. Even though Sarah could see the blow coming and tried as best she could to minimize it's force, the slap nearly knocked Sarah and the chair she was tied to over. All Sarah could see for a long moment was stars. She could taste the blood from her lip.

"You see, Agent Walker," said Wilson with an evil leer. "You were part of a mission sponsored by your evil government three years ago. You killed many of my people. Unfortunately for you, one of the people that you killed was my brother."

With that, Wilson took his left hand and backhanded Sarah on the other side of her face. This time Sarah was unable to deflect any of the blow. It knocked Sarah and her chair onto its side. Wilson indicated for his men to pick her back up.

"I miss him terribly." Wilson said. "So, I'm sure that you'll understand that I'm going to enjoy listening to you beg me to kill you for a long while."

"Scott, please," said Carina in a soft voice. "You'll never get away with this. Do you really think we would come in here without backup?"

"Exactly," said Wilson with a grin. "And that's why we're not staying here. We will take you in our van to a secure location. That's where I'll be able to deal with you slowly."

Sarah's head slumped down to her chest as she was trying to recover from the blows. She was still semi conscious when Wilson turned to her again. He pulled her head up by her hair until he could look into her glazed eyes. He picked up a large knife.

"I'm sorry that I have to leave you lovely ladies." Wilson said sarcastically as he ran the point of the knife up and down Sarah's neck and chest. "But I must be a good host and bid farewell to my guests. Don't worry though. I'll be right back and then you can watch your friend, Carina here slowly bleed to death."

With that, Wilson threw the knife into the wooden door and slammed the door as he exited the room. He left two men to guard the outside of the room.

- - - -

Casey had to do something to keep from going crazy so he decided to try and think of happier thoughts.

He remembered last week when he and Carina were flying down the mountain road as fast as the car would go. That was one of their favorite things to do. They would rent a convertible and go driving. That was one of the best things about living in L.A. They had their choice; they were only a few minutes away from the beach or the desert. But of all the places, Casey's favorite was the mountains. It was the closest experience that he could come to flying a fighter jet and still be able to take Carina with him. So here they were, top down and hair blowing in the wind while Casey piloted the car around the narrow winding road at ridiculously reckless speeds. Like they always did, they had packed a picnic lunch. It was very remote country so it was easy to find a desolate place to stop and eat without being seen. One thing was constant, Casey thought to himself as he drove. Speed turned Carina on. Their lovemaking on these drives was always fantastic. Casey was lying on the blanket on his back while Carina was kissing him. Then after a few minutes of necking she sat up and pulled off her top. She was the most beautiful woman that Casey had ever seen…

Casey shook himself out of his daydream. He knew that he had to stay sharp but he was going absolutely crazy in the car. This situation was totally messed up. Sarah and Carina's cover was blown. He hadn't heard from them in over a half hour. Angel was on the grounds somewhere. He hadn't heard from her since she left. And on top of all that, all he could hear from Chuck's wire was the damned stereo. Casey knew that his team had the place surrounded. But he also knew that they couldn't move in until they found out the location of the Sarin. Too many lives were at stake. So he sat there gripping the steering wheel in frustration.

"Damn it, Chuck, Can't you at least find a decent station on that thing?"

- - - -

Angel continued to hide crouching in the closet. She knew without a doubt that they were going to kill Carina and Sarah. She could see the knife still protruding from the door. It would be easy for her to get the knife and cut them loose. So what was she waiting for?

Angel sat with tears flowing down her cheeks and thought how Chuck would take the news of Sarah's death. He would be devastated. There was no question about that. But Angel knew she would be able to get him through it. She loved him, after all. And she knew that Chuck loved her. Well, maybe not in the same way he loved Sarah, but he would eventually. She would stay with him. She would dedicate her life to making sure that he recovered. She could even see in her mind their house with the picket fence. In the back yard the kids were playing while Chuck was cooking burgers on the grill. That was her destiny, to be with Chuck. Angel felt badly for Sarah but she wasn't killing her, the terrorists were. Sarah knew the risks of this job when she signed up for it. Those were her kids, hers and Chuck's. Chuck would never leave Sarah for her. She was sure of that. This was her one chance to be with him forever. All she had to do was stay hidden until they took Sarah and Carina away. She had to take it.

"Sarah," Carina called softly. "Are you ok?"

"Sarah," Carina called again a little more urgently. "Are you ok?"

"I guess," Sarah finally said groggily as her words were slightly slurred from her split lip. "It doesn't look good, does it?"

"No," Carina admitted as tears started to fill her eyes. "But at least I'm proud to go down with my best friend."

"I'm not afraid to die." Sarah whispered as tears flowed down her face. "I just wish I could tell Chuck goodbye. I'm afraid for him. Who is going to take care of him?"

As Angel watched Sarah's uncontrolled sobbing she knew what she had to do.

"Shit." Angel sobbed to herself. "I can't do it. I love him too much to make him hurt like that."

So Angel got up from her hiding spot and pulled the knife out of the door. Carina was the first to notice her through her tears. After she motioned for Carina to keep quiet, Angel went to Carina's back and cut the ropes tying her hands. Then she handed the knife to Carina who quickly freed her legs and then went to work on Sarah's binds. Once Sarah was free, Carina handed her the knife.

"Make some noise to get the guards in here." Carina whispered to Angel as she took a position behind the door.

Angel picked up a metal pan and flung it across the room. It made a large racket when it hit the floor.

When the first guard entered the room, Carina used her favorite fighting tactic. She kicked him directly in the groin. The second guard went down just as quickly only he was not so lucky. Sarah had thrown the knife into his neck. He made a gurgling sound as he quickly died. Sarah and Carina quickly disarmed the men. Sarah knocked the living guard unconscious with the butt of her rifle.

Once they had the room secure, Sarah turned to Angel.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Casey sent me." Angel said with her voice shaking. "I have a message for you. Your cover is blown."

"Thanks," said Carina with a smile. "I think that we had already figured that out."

"What about Chuck?" Sarah asked franticly. "Have you seen him?"

"No," whispered Angel who was still shaking. "But they don't think his cover is blown, just you two.

"Ok," said Sarah firmly as she rubbed her cheek. "Let's go get him."

"Can I show you something first?" Angel said as she pointed to the canisters. "There are four canisters of Sarin. That must be for the attack on the Rose Bowl."

- - - -

Chuck was getting frantic waiting in the bedroom. He had resorted to pacing up and down the room. Sarah and Carina had been gone a good hour and there was no sign of them. Suddenly they burst into the room. Chuck was amazed when he saw Angel.

"What are you doing here?" Chuck asked Angel in a shocked tone.

"Chuck," said Sarah tensely. "Not now, ok? We need our guns."

As Chuck was retrieving the guns from his legs, Sarah leaned into Chuck's chest.

"Casey," Sarah said. "Most of the Sarin is in Atlanta. It is in someplace called the Bakersfield Warehouse. There are four canisters here. We assume that is for the attack on the Rose Bowl. The teams are on a flight to Atlanta right now."

As soon as Sarah said the name of the warehouse, Chuck flashed. Angel saw the look on Chuck's face right away and went running to him.

"Chuck," Angel cried. "Are you ok?"

"Casey," Chuck said excitedly as he directed a soothing nod to Angel. "The address of the warehouse is six eighteen Peachtree Drive in Atlanta."

"How do you know that?" Angel whispered.

"Lucky guess," Chuck responded with a smile as he handed Sarah and Carina their guns.

- - - -

Back in the car, Casey had sprung into action. He immediately called Beckman to let her know the address of the warehouse.

"I'm dispatching personnel to that location right now." Beckman said.

"Yes ma'am," said Casey in a businesslike manner. "I'll instruct the team to move in."

"Not yet, Major," Beckman said sharply. "We can't move in until we've verified the location of the Sarin. It will take ten minutes."

"But, General," said Casey in a frustrated tone. "Sarah, Carina, and Chuck are in there. Their covers are blown. What possible good could waiting do?"

"Ok," said Beckman with a sigh. "I guess you're right. We're no longer covert. All units move in. Major, monitor the situation and report any incident."

"Yes, ma'am," replied Casey crisply.

- - - -

Sarah smiled for the first time in a while as she recognized the familiar feel of her Glock in her hand.

"Ok people," Sarah said as she moved to the door. "Let's get out of here. I'll take the lead. Chuck and Angel follow me. Carina can take the rear. Stay close to the wall and hit the floor at the first sign of any shots fired. Everybody understand?"

"Babe," said Chuck in alarm as he noticed for the first time the swelling on Sarah's face. "What happened to you?"

"I'll tell you as soon as we get out of here." Sarah said with a reassuring smile as she grabbed Chuck's hand.

They slowly inched their way down the hall. They were all careful to keep their backs pressed against the wall to make as small of a target as possible. Once they left the building and were on the terrace, Sarah gathered the group by a stone wall. They knelt behind it while Sarah carefully surveyed the scene. Suddenly, all hell broke loose. The agents were moving in. A tactical assault vehicle had rammed through the gate and a group of agents followed into the grounds with weapons at the ready. Several agents had scaled the wall in different locations and were converging. Shots were being fired in almost every direction. As Sarah stood up to take a shot at a terrorist who was firing at the incoming agents, another terrorist appeared to her side with his weapon aimed at Sarah. Chuck jumped and pushed Sarah out of the way just as the terrorist fired. Quickly he fell dead with three of Carina's rounds in his chest. When Sarah looked back she saw Angel kneeling over Chuck. Chuck was lying unconscious face up on the ground. A growing red spot on his shirt told Sarah all she needed to know.

"Shit, Casey," Sarah screamed. "Get a medic in here right now. Chuck is down."

- - - -

Casey was in the car directing the assault. It was quick and precise. Within three minutes the grounds were secure. All of the known terrorists were either killed or in custody. Casey could hear over the radio that his team had taken some casualties. There were several medical teams. Then he heard the words over the radio.

"Chuck is down."

Casey immediately jumped out of the car and ran over to one of the waiting medical teams.

"Let's go." Casey shouted as he climbed into the ambulance. "We have a high priority friendly down."

The medic drove the ambulance through the gate. As Casey looked around she spotted Carina standing on the terrace. When the ambulance pulled up, Casey and the two paramedics immediately jumped out and ran over to Chuck. Casey and Carina had to drag Sarah and Angel off of Chuck to allow the paramedics access to him.

"I have a strong pulse." shouted one of the medics as he ripped open Chuck's shirt. With amazing speed and precision they loaded Chuck onto the gurney. Within seconds the ambulance roared off to the hospital.

As soon as the ambulance left, Casey took charge of the assault.

"Sarah," Casey shouted. "Can you take Angel to the car?"

Sarah nodded numbly.

"Ok, go. Wait for me there." Casey shouted to be heard. "Carina, do you know where the Sarin is?"

Carina nodded.

"Stay with me until the house is cleared." Casey shouted as he indicated to the assembled team to assault the house.

The team quickly moved into the house. After a couple of minutes of sporadic gunfire, the group leader announced that the house was secure.

'Ok, Carina," said Casey with a growl. "Show us where the Sarin is."

Carina led Casey and the Hazardous Materials team that was waiting to the lab where the canisters of Sarin were. The team quickly secured the area.

Finally the fighting was over. As soon as Casey and Carina were outside of the house, Carina threw herself in Casey's arms.

"Let me get someone to take Sarah to the hospital." Carina whispered. "And then I'll come back here and help you clean this mess up."

When Carina got to the car, Angel already had her clothes on. Sarah was sitting in shock shaking visibly.

"Come on sweetie." Carina said softly. "Let's get some clothes on you and get you to the hospital."

Carina led Sarah to the bus where they retrieved her clothes. Angel had to help Sarah put them on since she was shaking so badly.

Carina asked a police officer to take Sarah and Angel to the hospital.

"Call as soon as you know something." Carina told Angel as the police car pulled away. "I have to stay here and help Casey."

- - - -

The hospital was chaos. There were far too many wounded to handle at once. There were some less seriously wounded lying in beds in the hall waiting for their turn to be treated. As Sarah and Angel rushed up to the front desk the clerk looked at them in surprise at their appearance.

"Chuck Bartowski?" Sarah asked in a rush.

"And you are?" the clerk asked.

"Special Agent," Sarah growled as she held up her ID. Her hand shook noticeably. "Where is he? This is a national security situation."

"I'm not sure." replied the clerk as she pointed to the ER patient area. "The last time I knew he was back there."

Sarah and Angel hurried to the patient area. There were two doctors trying to attend to about ten patients. Sarah walked up to a female doctor who was examining an unconscious patient.

"Chuck Bartowski?" she asked urgently.

"And you are?" the doctor asked without looking up.

"I'm Special Agent Sarah Bartowski." Sarah said forcefully. "I'm his wife."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Bartowski," the doctor said, again without looking up.

"He's gone."

- - - -


	19. Revenge

_Warning: There is some adult content in this. Nothing major but please use discretion. A special thanks to Natty for the beta, not only on this chapter, but the whole series. I'm getting sort of tired of saying that I still don't own Chuck. But I still don't._

_If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It's the only reward that we get for putting ourselves out there. I really appreciate the support that you've given me. It really helps._

_This is the end of the AU that began with Chuck vs. The Real Relationship, continued with Chuck vs. Fulcrum's Revenge and Chuck vs. The Gentleman's Club, and concluded with Chuck vs. The Missing Link. I hope you enjoyed reading half as much as I did writing. Hopefully the second season will spark some new inspiration._

_**Revenge**_

- - - -

"Oh, please God, no." Sarah whispered.

Angel had to catch Sarah to keep her from collapsing to the floor. Tears were flooding down her face. Her mouth was open and it looked as if she was wailing but no sound was coming out. Sarah's body was so limp that Angel was having a hard time keeping her from falling. Finally Angel saw a nearby chair. She was able to navigate Sarah to it and set her down gently. Angel had to put her arms around Sarah as she sobbed to keep her from falling over. Angel could barely see from the tears filling her own eyes. Finally she composed herself enough to speak.

"Excuse me," Angel said through her sobs. "Can we see his body?"

"See what?" said the doctor in surprise. "I told you. He's gone."

For the first time the doctor looked up at Angel and Sarah. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw the scene and realized what they were thinking.

"Oh my God," she said quickly. "I'm so sorry. Mrs. Bartowski, Chuck is fine. When I said gone, I meant he was treated and released. The gunshot only caused a flesh wound. We gave him eleven stitches. He had a mild concussion from loosing consciousness when his head hit the ground. We normally would have kept him overnight for observation, but we're swamped. His sister came and picked him up. She's an ER attending physician at another hospital, isn't she?"

Angel just nodded. She fished out Sarah's phone from her purse and searched for Ellie's number. Ellie answered the call on the first ring.

"Sarah, oh my God. Thank goodness. Are you ok?"

"Um, Dr. Bartowski," Angel said shakily. "This is Angel. We met yesterday."

"Hi, Angel," Ellie said, the concern evident in her voice. "Where is Sarah?"

"She's right here." Angel replied. "She's sort of having a hard time right now. We're at the hospital and they kind of told us that Chuck was dead. Sarah is still in shock."

"Don't move." Ellie said firmly. "I'm sending Devon to get you right now. He'll be there in ten minutes."

"Thanks," said Angel, her voice starting to break. "How is Chuck?"

"He's going to be fine, Angel." Ellie said reassuringly. "He's right here."

"Hi, Angel," said Chuck in a cheery tone as soon as Ellie handed him the phone. "Where is Sarah?"

"She's right here." Angel said with a sob. "You need to say something to her. She's really messed up. They told her you were dead."

"Hi, babe," Chuck said softly as Angel held the phone up to Sarah's ear. "Are you ok? Don't worry everyone's fine."

"Chuck," Sarah whispered as she sobbed after a long pause. "I thought you were dead."

"Babe," said Chuck soothingly. "I'm fine. I have a bit of a headache. I'll see you in a few minutes."

Soon after Sarah ended the call, Devon came bursting through the door. He scanned the room and when he spotted Sarah, came rushing over.

"Hi," Devon said with a smile as he extended his hand. "You must be Angel. I'm Devon."

"Hi Devon," said Angel softly as she took his hand. "I can't tell you how good it is to see you. Sarah is really messed up."

"I can see." Devon said with a smile. "Please help me get her into the car."

With Angel and Devon on either side of Sarah they were able to slowly walk her to the car. Devon gently helped her into the passenger's seat and buckled her seat belt. Angel climbed into the back seat. Sarah continued to sob as Devon drove.

- - - -

Casey and Carina were about finished with the cleanup. The Hazmat team had finished securing the Sarin. They had already determined that the lab was being used to produce it. Casey had just gotten off the phone with Beckman. She asked that they video conference in an hour to debrief. All of the escorts and businessmen that were at the party were taken downtown for questioning, except for the few that were injured in the battle and were at the hospital. Finally Carina walked up to Casey.

"Are we about done here?" she asked with a slight smile.

"I think so." Casey replied with a sigh.

"Good," said Carina as she launched herself into Casey's arms.

"Wow," said Casey softly as he held her tightly. "I think this is the first time I've ever seen you cry."

"Don't get used to it." Carina said as she released her pent up emotion and sobbed into Casey's chest. "I didn't think I was ever going to see you again."

"It's been a long two days for me too." Casey said with a sigh. "What do you say we go rent a convertible?"

"I have a better idea." Carina said as she looked up and smiled through her tears. "Why don't we just drive home real fast and spend some time in our own bed?"

"Sounds good," Casey said with a laugh.

- - - -

As soon as Devon stopped the car, Sarah jumped out and ran into the house. Chuck was standing in the living room waiting for her. She quickly ran over to him and threw her arms around his neck.

"I thought you were dead." Sarah sobbed as she tightened her grip.

"About three more minutes of this and I will be." Chuck said with a giggle.

Sarah ignored her hurt lip and she crushed her mouth against Chuck's.

"Wow," teased Chuck with a grin when she finally let him up for air. "I'm feeling a lot better. Did you ever think of going into the medical field? Men would be lining up for treatment."

Just then Devon and Angel entered the house.

"Sarah," said Devon. "Let me look at your face. I don't like the looks of that swelling."

"I feel great now." said Sarah as she snuggled contentedly in Chuck's chest.

"Really," said Devon. "Let me look at it."

"It's the first time I've ever heard anyone say that they don't like the looks of your face." Chuck teased her.

Reluctantly Sarah pulled herself away from Chuck to allow Devon to examine her.

"Just how were you at a party with a bunch of terrorists anyway?" Ellie asked.

"Bad luck," Chuck sighed.

"Anyway," said Ellie as she pulled a bottle from the cabinet. "I have the cure for all of our troubles."

Three minutes later, Ellie was pouring glasses of margaritas for everyone except Chuck. Ellie wouldn't let him have one due to his concussion.

"That's fine with me." Chuck laughed. "I'll take a concussion over a tequila hangover anytime."

"You really need to get some ice on that lip." Devon told Sarah softly.

"And I have just the ice." Ellie said with a laugh as she handed Sarah a frozen drink.

Sarah noticed that Angel was sitting in a chair staring at the floor. Ellie had handed her a drink but she just held it with a blank expression. So Sarah went over and sat on the arm of the chair that she was sitting in and put her hand on Angel's shoulder.

"Thank you for saving my life." Sarah whispered as she leaned in close to Angel.

Angel didn't look up. "Can we talk?" she asked softly. "In private?"

"Sure," Sarah said as she took Angel by the hand and led her to Chuck's old room.

Just as Sarah and Angel closed the bedroom door, Carina and Casey came bursting in.

"Carina, John," Ellie called loudly. "Come in and have a drink."

As soon as Carina had her drink she walked up to where Chuck was standing.

"Are you sure you're ok?" she asked softly with smile.

"I'm great." Chuck replied with an equal smile.

"Then come with me, will you?" Carina whispered as she extended her hand. "I would like to talk to you for a second."

- - - -

Carina took Chuck by the hand and led him to the opposite side of the room. Calmly she grabbed Chuck's finger and twisted in awkwardly.

"Ahh," Chuck cried as his eyes widened in pain. "Carina, you're hurting me."

"I know." said Carina sweetly with a smile. "Don't worry. I'm not going to do any permanent damage. It really hurts like hell, doesn't it?"

"Yes," Chuck quickly agreed. "Please let go."

"In a minute," Carina said softly, the smile never leaving her face. "But first I want to tell you something. And I want to make sure that I have your undivided attention. Do I have your undivided attention, Chuck?"

Chuck quickly nodded.

"You know that I love you," Carina started, her smile turning into more of a grin. "But it's also my job to protect you. I've dedicated my life to that job. I think that you understand how seriously I take it. So when you do stupid things and put yourself in danger, like you did today, it pisses me off. You scared the crap out of us. So the next time that happens, Sarah is going to be helping you put on your shoes and socks for a couple of weeks. Do we understand each other?"

"Yes," Chuck quickly said as he nodded.

"Good," said Carina as she released Chuck's finger. "Now give me a hug. I was so afraid for you."

- - - -

As soon as Sarah closed the bedroom door, Angel started silently sobbing.

"I'm so sorry." Angel whispered with tears flowing. "I need to tell you something. I seriously thought for a minute about letting them kill you today so I could be with Chuck. I'm so ashamed of myself. I don't blame you for hating me. I think it's just better if we forgot that we ever met."

"Well," said Sarah softly. "It may be better, but it's not going to happen."

"You saved my life today." Sarah continued as she embraced Angel. "No matter what you thought about today, the fact of the matter is that you did the right thing. And by saving my life you saved Chuck's life. So I'll always be grateful. Always. Chuck loves you. I'm not going to stop trying until I love you too."

"Really?" Angel asked as she looked up into Sarah's eyes.

"Really," said Sarah with a smile. "Don't forget. Technically, you're still in my custody. So here's what's going to happen. We're going to go back out there and we're going to get sloppy drunk celebrating the fact that we're alive with our friends, and family. Next week we're going to take you to the rehab center. And when you get out Carina and I are going to be all over your ass to stay clean. Then we're going to start looking for your Chuck. We're not going to leave any stone unturned looking for him. We're not going to stop looking until we find him. And when we do find him, I expect to be your maiden of honor. Any questions?"

"No," Angel said with a smile through her tears. "That seems like a pretty complete plan."

"But as long as you're feeling guilty," Sarah said with a sly smile. "There is one favor you could do for me."

"I'll do anything." said Angel with her own smile.

Sarah grinned as she said "Let me tell you my second plan."

- - - -

When Sarah and Angel came back out of the bedroom, the impromptu party was well under way. The gang was on their third pitcher of margaritas. Casey had gone back to his place and retrieved his bottle of scotch. Ellie even let Chuck have a drink as long as he promised to take it easy. The group of friends sat and drank. They talked and drank. Then they munched on some snacks… and drank. Soon they were all in a very relaxed mood. Suddenly Angel spoke up.

"Oh my God," she said animatedly. "I just thought of something. Do you know what football game is at the Rose Bowl on Saturday? UCLA and Stanford."

"I know," Ellie sighed. "Devon and I are going."

"You and Devon are going to be in the Rose Bowl on Saturday?" Sarah asked incredulously.

"Sure," said Devon. "We go to most of the home games. Why?"

"No reason," Sarah replied with a sly smile. "I hope you enjoy the game."

After a couple more hours of drinking, talking and the occasional card game, some of the folks started to yawn.

"I hope you know," Ellie said forcefully. "That no one is driving tonight. Chuck and Sarah can take Chuck's room. Angel umm…."

"Angel can take our guest room." Carina finished Ellie's sentence with a laugh. "Come on, Angel. If you hear any moaning tonight, you must be having a bad dream."

- - - -

Chuck and Sarah quickly stripped down to their underwear. Chuck found a t-shirt for Sarah and they slipped into bed.

"Can I talk to you about something?" Sarah said softly as they lay in the spoon position.

"Of course," said Chuck. "You know that you can always talk to me."

"It's important." Sarah said softly but firmly.

"I'm listening."

"I want to resign my position in the CIA."

"Are you sure that's what you want?"

"I've never been more sure." said Sarah as she rolled over to face Chuck. "There was two different times today when I thought I'd never see you again. I'm tired of that. I'm tired of having some terrorist stick his hand up my shirt. I want to start that family we've talked about. It's time. I'm ready."

"But I'll still be the intersect, right?"

"Sure," said Sarah. "Of course. But I'm thinking that your flashes will start to diminish soon as the data in your head gets older. They'll probably keep Casey and Carina around as your handlers indefinitely. We'll still report any intelligence that you come up with. We'll just leave the active missions to someone else."

"And you're not going to miss this?" Chuck whispered skeptically.

"Chuck," said Sarah with tears starting to form in her eyes. "Today when I thought I had lost you, I took stock of my life. I thought of all the things that I regretted. And none of those things were about the job. They were all about you. They were all about how I hurt you or made you take second place to the job. How I made you watch me flirting with another man. It made me ashamed. I never want you to feel that way again. So, no, I'm not going to miss it at all. I'm going to be too busy taking care of you. I couldn't possibly ever begin to tell you how much I love you."

"Fortunately," whispered Chuck as he kissed Sarah tenderly to avoid hurting her lip. "You don't have to tell me. I already know. Just like I think that you already know how much I love you."

As Sarah returned Chuck's kiss she could feel his hand under her t-shirt.

"Are you sure that you're up for this?" Sarah whispered with a grin.

"We'll find out in a second." Chuck said with a smile as he lifted the t-shirt over Sarah's head. "Yup, it appears that I am."

"It's show time."

- - - -

_The terrorist teams were caught when their plane landed in Atlanta. The warehouse was raided and all of the Sarin was found and destroyed. Since the new administration wanted to brag about their success in fighting terrorism, the story was well publicized. Casey actually became rather famous for a few weeks providing terrorism analysis for cable news networks with the understanding that they would hide his face and disguise his voice._

_Sarah resigned from the CIA the next day. Director Graham was disappointed but she really didn't give him any choice. Sarah made sure that she told him that she was tired of being 'expendable'. Graham got the point and wouldn't meet her eye. Sarah never missed being an agent but she did keep in practice at throwing knifes. It was a skill that made everyone around her sure not to piss her off._

_Chuck and Angel joined Ellie and Devon at the football game. Angel was able to take a great deal of pride as she looked around the stadium that she had played a big part in keeping all those people safe. UCLA beat Stanford by a late touchdown. It was a fact that Angel used for her amusement all year. They made it a yearly tradition to attend the UCLA / Stanford game together._

_Angel kept her promise to Sarah by helping her play a practical joke on Casey and Carina. They set it up to look like they had caught Chuck and Angel cheating on Sarah. Naturally it was all an act. Carina fell for it hook, line and sinker. It took a lot of convincing for her to believe that it was a joke. Chuck avoided her for several days after that to protect his fingers. Chuck had never seen Sarah laugh so hard. Naturally, Carina vowed vengeance. She tried several times and pulled many small pranks but could never top Sarah._

_Chuck kept his promise and went with Sarah to Washington. They stayed in Sarah's apartment for two weeks before the CIA stopped providing it. And, although Sarah had a great time showing Chuck the sights, it no longer felt like home to her and she was very happy to get back. It goes without saying that Chuck did everything in his power to help Sarah get pregnant. It didn't take very long at all. The next spring, she delivered Kate to the world. Casey and Carina became the godparents. Chuck decided against going back to Stanford and Sarah never got to meet Jill. That was one thing that she always regretted. Chuck continued to have flashes occasionally but they were almost always old and outdated. Casey was permanently assigned to be Chuck's protector until he finally retired but they never went on active missions. Although Casey and Carina were never married, they stayed together for the rest of their lives._

_Angel graduated from rehab. She was one of only twenty percent who stayed clean after their first visit. Not that she had much choice. Sarah, Ellie, or Carina was with her pretty much every minute for the first month. Carina was able to pull some strings with the DEA and got Angel a job. At first it was administrative but after a few months she was accepted into field training. She was an absolute natural. Her knowledge of the drug culture along with her athleticism, high intelligence and natural beauty helped her rise up the ranks until she was quickly considered one of the top field agents in the DEA. She was offered the opportunity to take over for Carina when she retired. She seriously thought about it. It would have been fun to work with Chuck and Casey again but she felt called to be involved with drug enforcement. So, after spending a year as an agent in the L.A. branch, she was promoted to Deputy Director of the San Diego office. That's where she met Jim Fedderly. He was a special agent that was frequently assigned to cases in San Diego. After a whirlwind romance, Jim quickly proposed. Angel asked Sarah to be her maiden of honor but Chuck put his foot down. Since Sarah was due to give birth to their second child three weeks from the wedding, Chuck felt it would be better for Carina to fill in. Naturally, Chuck walked Angel down the aisle and gave her away. _

_At the reception, in between throwing the garter and cutting the cake, Angel and Sarah found themselves alone for a moment. Sarah hugged Angel, reminded her how much she loved her, and wished her luck. Finally she thanked her once again for saving her life those many years ago. Angel replied that "It was actually you who saved my life that day."_

_They were both right._

_Eventually Chuck and Sarah were alone at their table. Since Sarah was due to give birth in eighteen days, she was at the point where she was pretty much always uncomfortable. Sarah looked around at all the beautiful ladies in the room in their lovely dresses and sighed that she no longer looked like that. Chuck smiled as he kissed her. "I know," he whispered. "Seriously, how does it feel to be the most beautiful woman in the room?" Sarah smiled to herself as she remembered all of the times that different men had said that to her over the years trying to pick her up. She looked into Chuck's eyes and knew in her heart that he truly meant it. It was today's reminder of what she already knew but never tired of hearing. That she was the most loved person in the world. "Actually," Sarah whispered as she smiled and gently kissed the love of her life._

"_It feels great."_

_The End_

- - - -


End file.
